And Hell Came With Him
by Rider Paladin
Summary: Sequel to "Coil" and VFSNAKE's "Shadows of Wrath." Just when Nightwing thought he was out, they pulled him back in, back among the demons and the devils and other denizens of hell. Fortunately, his friends are along for the ride.
1. Schwarz Drache Feuer

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 1: "Schwarz Drache Feuer"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, as well as any other characters or elements I might borrow from the DC Universe (animated or comic), belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers. I make no money from this story whatsoever, and any characters that I do not explain as sourced from an extant fictional universe are mine.

Author's note: I would have written a sequel to my hit Titans fic "Coil," had I not become preoccupied with my next-gen smash "Teen Titans: Future Storm." Ergo, VFSNAKE had to take up the relatively thankless task of continuing what I started in his fic, "Teen Titans: Shadows of Wrath." In case you don't feel like reading that, there will be references to it in terms of the status quo at the beginning of this story.

This story, by the way, is going to be a supernatural action-horror story. At least, that's what I'm going to try to do with it. It's gonna feature Nightwing going up against not only the legions of Hell, but also more earthbound foes with their own ties to the supernatural. Plus, there will be some complications in Nightwing's relationships with Blackfire, Starfire, and Raven, among other things.

Enough rambling from me. Time to begin the story.

* * *

"You are the luckiest son of a bitch in the world."

"What makes you say that?"

It was two young men talking, seemingly making nothing but idle conversation, but they were not ordinary young men at all. One was a highly skilled gentleman thief turned reluctant superhero, and the other was a highly skilled urban knight harboring an ancient quasi-evil force within his body. Both wore black costumes, but the thief wore his with red accents and the knight wore his with blue accents. The thief's symbol was a red X that looked as though it had been slashed into the fabric, and the knight's symbol was the outstretched wings of a blue bird.

They were Red X and Nightwing, and they were currently conversing about Nightwing's love life.

"What makes me say that?" Red X asked. "I'll tell you what makes me say that. You've got three beautiful women who are perfectly willing to put up with each other to be with you. If that's not lucky, I'm not Red X!"

Nightwing chuckled slightly. "Not quite, X. Not quite."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The thief, his usual death's-head mask exchanged for red-tinted goggles and black mouth-plate, leaned forward, wanting to hear what Nightwing had to say.

"For one thing, they still get kind of antsy whenever I want to spend time alone with just one of them," Nightwing admitted. "It's still taking some getting used to that I really do want to be with all of them."

Red X sighed. "I guess it's not that much fun for you, after all."

"Don't get me wrong, I do love them all . . . but you know how you might have a whole bunch of friends and yet want to spend time with just one of them?"

"Let me tell you something, kid. Friends are one thing, but when love is involved, it's something else altogether. You're just gonna have to ride it out."

"At least Raven's trying to be mature about it." A faint smile found its way to Nightwing's lips.

"Considering that she's used to keeping herself in check . . ." Red X snickered. "That must make the sex fun."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nightwing asked.

"Simply put, people who are forced to repress themselves become very _expressive_ once freed from their constraints," Red X clarified. "If you know what I'm saying."

"Don't be a jackass, X."

"Who's being a jackass? I'm just saying the truth."

_He is right, you know,_ the darkness dragon, Rij'ze, whispered within Nightwing's thoughts. _Raven has a great deal of passion pent up inside her . . . as I'm sure you've experienced already._

_You just love it when she lets her demon side out,_ Nightwing grumbled to his unrequested soul partner, rolling his eyes beneath his birdlike domino mask.

_Yes, I do,_ Rij'ze admitted shamelessly. _Something wrong with that? Besides, you heal in no time, thanks to me._

"Anyway, there's a little bit of trouble going on," Red X cut in. "That thief. Violet."

"Violet?" Nightwing repeated. "Again?"

"Yeah, Little Miss Robin Hood," Red X confirmed. "She's gonna get herself nailed if this goes on."

"You do the same thing," Nightwing commented.

"Unlike me, she doesn't have a super-suit _and_ her technique is pedestrian."

"She's doing the best with what she's got, and she's relatively decent at what she does."

"Decent doesn't cut it. Isn't that what Batman always told you?"

"I'm not Batman, but good point. I think . . . if you could take her under your wing . . ."

"Oh, no!" Red X declared. "Hell, no! You are insane if you think I'm going to do that?"

"What's the problem? You're the one who said her technique was pedestrian," Nightwing taunted. "Don't you want to show her how it's done? Doesn't your thief's pride compel you to make her not such an embarrassment to the Thieves' Guild?"

"There is no such goddamn thing as the Thieves' Guild," Red X snarled, rising from his seat. "Come on, bastard. We got patrol."

"Don't go on patrol mad," Nightwing advised with a lilting smirk, enjoying getting under the thief's skin as much as said thief had enjoyed getting under his skin. "You'll only regret it in the morning."

Red X flipped Nightwing off without looking at him, before exchanging the goggles and mouth-plate for his full mask. "Quit it, dickhead." The voice distorter in his mask amplified the irritation in his tone to terrifying levels of anger. At least, they would have been terrifying to anyone aside from Nightwing . . . or Batman. Who knew if the Dark Knight ever actually felt scared?

* * *

Elsewhere in the City of Angels, Starfire hovered above the city streets. She was supposed to be patrolling, but the lack of activity left her bored, and a bored Starfire tended to contemplate her navel more often than she normally did. It was rather easy to contemplate her navel, though, considering how exposed it was by her uniform. As tended to be the case when she contemplated her navel, her thoughts turned to one Nightwing.

She remembered their first meeting, how he had so bravely stood against her even though – at the time – she was vastly more powerful than he was. When he'd made it clear that he didn't really mean any harm, she'd kissed him. Technically, it was just to learn his language, but even then she'd found him pleasant to behold by her standards. Still, it had not been a kiss that she easily forgot, and she'd found that there was a connection between them.

Then she had forsaken him. In his hour of need, when he was struggling with a literal demon sharing his body, she had let her own fear get the better of her. And he had left, heartbroken, only to fall into her wicked sister's arms, to accept the comfort that her embrace gave him. She had thought him lost to her forever, and then it had seemed that Blackfire, her sister, had died.

She had seen his heartbreak, which transmuted into an apocalyptic rage that nearly caused the end of everything. Once it had become clear that Blackfire was not lost, it had also become clear that, for all of her sister's flaws and faults and crimes, there was something genuine about her that had pulled Nightwing's _heart_ to her. There was no way to pull them apart, it seemed, and then . . . it turned out that she didn't _need_ to pull them apart. Nightwing, X'Hal bless his soul, had more than enough love for her, for Blackfire, and for her best friend Raven.

It had not been an easy arrangement. Starfire still had to fight down the surge of jealousy whenever Raven kissed Nightwing on the cheek or vice versa, or whenever Blackfire draped her body around Nightwing. It did help, though, that Nightwing was just as affectionate with her as he was with Raven or Blackfire. It was an unconventional arrangement, something many Earth cultures tended to frown upon, but they all loved Nightwing and Nightwing loved all of them in turn.

Her musings were interrupted by the ring of her Titans communicator, repainted blue and black. She clicked it on, and Blackfire's image appeared on the screen. _"Hey, li'l sis. I ran into this redheaded chick who's just as fond of purple as you are."_

"Do you mean the Violet?" Starfire asked.

"_No, I mean Mai Valentine,"_ Blackfire retorted sarcastically. _"Who do you think I mean?"_

"You do not need to be rude, sister. I am on my way." Starfire closed the link and flew to Blackfire's location, using the GPS built into the communicator to find her.

When Starfire reached Blackfire's position, she found Blackfire wrestling a redheaded girl in a dark purple latex suit and open-head mask completed by darkly tinted goggles and an off-white breathing mask with circular vents on either side of the mouth. The two seemed to be fighting over something in the purple-clad redhead's hand, and Blackfire seemed to be having a hard time. Upon closer examination, it turned out that Blackfire was simply toying with the young woman, judging by the wicked smirk on her face. Finally, Blackfire pinned the redhead and yanked the mysterious object out of her hand.

"Give that back!" the redhead yelled.

"Nope, finders keepers, losers weepers," Blackfire answered, smirking. She looked at the object. "Wow, you have good taste. This ought to fetch a pretty penny on this planet's black market. I should know."

"Blackfire, stop toying with her," Starfire admonished, landing beside her.

As though not hearing Starfire, Blackfire continued on. "I'd take you to jail, but Nightwing wants a word with you first."

"Nightwing?" the redhead asked.

"Yeah," Blackfire purred. "He is _so_ gonna want to give you a _thorough_ interrogation."

"Sister, stop!" Starfire exclaimed.

"You heard her," Raven's raspy voice growled from within the shadows. "Stop."

"Spoilsports, both of you," Blackfire pouted, reluctantly getting off the purple-clad thief and playing catch with herself using the mysterious object.

The thief got up, but not before Raven materialized out of the shadows, dressed in a black sleeveless leotard, black cloak, and elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots, and bound her with those same shadows. "Nightwing and Red X should be here any minute."

"Good, then the fun can really start," Blackfire remarked.

"Quit it, Blackfire," Raven snarled.

"It's not my fault you don't know how to have fun. I thought Nightwing would have cured you of that by now."

"Wow, you three are really dysfunctional," the thief remarked.

Just then, all four young women could hear two motorcycle engines roaring nearby. Moments later, two black-clad young men stepped into the alleyway where Raven was holding the thief with Starfire and Blackfire keeping watch. One of the young men wore a black cape and skull-faced mask with crimson eyes and a red X "slashed" into the forehead, along with another red X "slashed" into the chest and red accents on the sides and arms, not to mention silver-white guards on the forearms and fingers. The other young man had short black hair and wore a birdlike domino mask, along with black armor overlaying a black body-glove and a blue symbol resembling a bird with outstretched wings emblazoned on the chest.

"So you joined the party," Blackfire greeted with a slow smirk. "Hi, lover. Hi, lover's annoyingly sexy friend."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Red X answered. "But I am _not_ annoying."

"Violet," Nightwing greeted. "Nice to finally meet you."

Violet turned her head toward Nightwing in a manner that made it clear she was glaring at him. "What do you want with me, Dickwing?"

Red X snickered and whispered to Nightwing, "She's closer to your real name than she thinks."

"Yeah, but you're not telling her that," Nightwing answered.

"Hell, no."

"What do I want with you?" Nightwing asked Violet. "I want to make you a proposition."

"I'm not letting you fuck me, bastard," Violet snapped. "You're not even that cute."

Nightwing permitted himself a tight smirk, concealing his shock. "Not my style. I don't even know what you look like. No, that's not what I want." He directed a sidelong look at Blackfire before returning his attention to Violet. "No, I'm proposing an alliance."

"An alliance? Why would a superhero want _me_ as an ally?"

"Intimidating lower-level crooks only goes so far. I could do a lot better with someone on the inside."

"Are you talking about what I think you're talking about?"

"You steal from men who think themselves untouchable." Nightwing walked closer to her, accenting his every word with a step. "You slip in to their sancta like a wraith, and you take whatever you want from them. That gives you a special kind of access that I don't have."

"What's in it for me?" Violet asked.

"I'm willing to pay you quite generously," Nightwing replied. "I'll set up a secret account for you, and transfer money there in increments of 5 million. In exchange, you will do what you usually do, only you will occasionally go after targets I specify."

"Why should I go after your enemies?" Violet sneered. "Don't you have Red X for that?"

"Too obvious," Nightwing answered. "Besides, he's going to improve your technique."

"I am?!" Red X shouted.

"He is?!" Violet yelled.

Blackfire chuckled. "This just got interesting."

"You can't be serious!" Red X and Violet exclaimed at roughly the same time.

"My technique doesn't need improving!" Violet protested heatedly.

"Me? Teach her? Not a chance!" Red X declared.

"What's your problem, X?" Nightwing taunted. "Don't you hold yourself to be an even greater thief than Catwoman?"

"Doesn't mean I want to teach a poseur like her!" Red X protested.

"Poseur?! You're one to talk!" Violet protested.

Nightwing chuckled. "I see we're going to have a lot of fun here." He wrapped one arm around Red X, who had followed him, and the other around Violet. "Come on. We've got a lot to talk about." He looked at Raven, who wrapped them all in shadows, much to Violet's terror as she could not see at all in this darkness. When the shadows receded, they were in Nightwing's headquarters.

* * *

"Where am I?" Violet asked.

"My base," Nightwing replied. "You're welcome to stick around and think it over."

"Think what over?" Violet sniped.

"My offer." Nightwing smiled.

"You do realize you freaking kidnapped me, right?"

"I could easily let it be known just who the new thief in town is. Get both the cops and your 'unfortunate' victims hunting you down. You wouldn't be safe anywhere . . . except here."

"And what's stopping you from doing that, huh, asshole?"

"It would be counterproductive. It would fly completely in the face of what I'm trying to do."

"Come on, Wing, she's clearly not interested," Red X remarked.

"Oh, I'm interested _now,_ fuckwit," Violet retorted. "I'm in, Dickwing."

"Seriously?" Nightwing asked, genuinely surprised.

Violet just looked at Nightwing in a way that made it damned clear she was smirking beneath her mask. "Yeah. Gotta show Bonehead how it's done."

"You just wanna piss me off," Red X growled.

"Yeah, that, too," Violet confirmed shamelessly.

_She feels wrong,_ Rij'ze snarled within Nightwing's thoughts.

_What do you mean, "wrong"?_ Nightwing asked.

_You can't tell? Hm, you don't know how to use your senses, fool mortal, or else you'd be able to taste the infernal stink._

_She's a demon?_

_No, but she has demon in her lineage. And, strangely enough, I taste angel._

_You mean . . . a demon and an angel . . . actually . . ._

_It's not that unheard-of, although such unions don't survive very long. Even if they yield offspring, those children don't tend to survive very long, either. They're an abomination to the Hosts of Heaven and to the Fallen, so both sides want them dead._

_What happens to the parents?_

_Cast out, if they're lucky._

_And if they're not lucky?_

Rij'ze let out a grim chuckle. _Do you really want to know, boy?_

_Yes._

_You asked. If they're not lucky, they're executed by their own side or left to the not-so-tender mercies of the other side._

_Are you sure Violet . . . are you sure she . . ._

_Yes. But the bloodline is so diluted by now that her abilities are no greater than an extension of what a well-trained human such as your Batman or Arsenal could do. The Hosts and the Fallen will leave her be . . . unless she trespasses in forces she has no business messing around with._

"Hey, Nightwing," Red X called out. "Earth to Nightwing!"

Nightwing turned to look at Red X. "Yeah?"

"Chatting with your little buddy again?"

"Something like that."

_Did he just call me what I think he just called me? Is he not aware of the torments I could visit upon his mortal soul?_

_Shut up, Rij'ze._

_Did you just tell me to shut up?_

_Yes. Deal with it._

A pair of lean, muscled arms sheathed in silver armor wrapped around Nightwing, their owner pressing her firm body against his back. "Nightwing, dear . . . I'm sure we're a lot more interesting than your scaly buddy. At least, _I'm_ certainly more interesting than he is."

"Blackfire." Nightwing smiled, feeling her warmth through the layers of armor that separated them. "What was that you swiped from Violet?"

"What do you mean?" Blackfire asked coyly.

"You know what I mean," Nightwing answered.

Blackfire withdrew one of her arms from around Nightwing and reached into her belt. When her arm returned, her hand was holding a silver ring with an inset purple gem. When Nightwing looked at that ring, a cold shiver ran down his spine . . . and it wasn't from Blackfire's nearness.

"What's wrong?" Blackfire asked.

"That ring . . ." Nightwing replied, shuddering. His right arm was painfully warm, a sign that Rij'ze was not in a very good mood.

_It's . . . it's . . . where did she get it?! WHERE?!_

The question was asked with so much fury and pain behind it that it gave Nightwing a migraine. "Where did you get that ring?" he asked Violet.

"I got it from the vault of a woman named Blaze," Violet replied.

"Blaze," Red X echoed. "As in Angelica Blaze, newest rising star in the L.A. underworld."

"Blackfire, please put that ring away," Starfire requested. "It is causing Nightwing pain."

"It's ok, Star," Nightwing growled, his voice sounding slightly less human. He took the ring out of Blackfire's hand and slipped out of her embrace, walking over to the computer and typing a code into the keyboard. Instantly, a panel extended from beneath the keyboard and Nightwing placed the ring inside it, immediately slamming the panel closed. "It's ok . . ."

"What's wrong with his voice?" Violet wondered aloud.

"That's just what happens when Nightwing gets in a mood," Red X answered. "Nothing unusual."

Nightwing sat down in front of the computer, panting slightly, like he'd been forced to do a hundred-meter dash in under a minute. That ring had unsettled him more than just psychologically; it had messed with his very biochemistry, too. Actually, it'd messed with _Rij'ze,_ and since Rij'ze was bound to him, it had affected him as well. "That ring's no ordinary ring."

"What makes you say that?" Red X asked.

"It's evil," Raven stated. "Plain and simple."

"You mean like 'The One Ring' evil?" Red X quipped.

"Worse," Raven answered. "Sauron's a meek little kitten compared to what this ring's giving off."

"Does that mean something?" Violet asked.

"It means this Blaze woman is more trouble than we originally thought," Raven clarified.

"That ring . . . it smells like Hell," Nightwing murmured.

"Hell? You mean, fire and brimstone?" Violet asked.

Nightwing quietly laughed, but the laugh turned louder and more crazed . . . until Blackfire whirled his chair around and punched him in the face. "Stop it, Nightwing! You're scaring me!"

"I'm scared, too," Nightwing admitted, his bruise fading rapidly. "That ring's eviler than anything I've ever felt. Even Slade didn't scare me this bad."

"Wow. Worse than Slade. That's a whole new kind of badness," Red X remarked somewhat sarcastically.

Raven and Starfire glared at Red X. "If you knew . . . just how much suffering Slade caused Nightwing, you would know not to take him lightly," Raven snarled, her eyes glowing beneath her hood.

"Whoa, damn, sorry!" Red X raised his hands in concession.

"Slade? _The_ Slade?" Violet asked.

"What do you know about him?" Raven asked.

"He's a legend in the international criminal underworld," Violet replied.

"Figures," Red X mumbled. "Birdboy's a legend among teenage superheroes and One-Eye's a legend among super-criminals."

"I'm going to find out just who this Angelica Blaze is, or who she's pretending to be," Nightwing muttered, turning back to face the computer monitor.

"Wow, I didn't know I was causing this much trouble," Violet commented. "Still want me on your team, Dickwing?"

"Yes," Nightwing answered tersely. He turned to his team. "I have the computer running an automated records search for Angelica Blaze. It should turn up something."

"What do we do in the meantime?" Red X asked.

"I have a few ideas," Blackfire purred, wrapping her arms around Nightwing despite the obstruction of the chair in which he sat.

"Really?" Red X asked. "Tell me about them."

"They don't involve _you,_" Blackfire retorted sharply.

Red X clutched his chest dramatically. "Damn, Blackfire. You wound me. You really do."

"If I actually set out to wound you, you'd be in the hospital macking on nurses," Blackfire quipped.

"You know me well." Red X smirked beneath his mask.

"How do you guys stand each other?" Violet asked.

"Through excesses of violence and sex," Blackfire replied deadpan.

"You are one freaky bitch," Violet remarked.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Blackfire answered, smirking. "Besides, Nightwing more than appreciates my 'freakiness,' as you put it."

"You are a bona fide nymphomaniac," Raven commented somewhat derisively.

"Yeah? You scream louder than I do when Nightwing does that tongue thing," Blackfire answered. "Even Starfire can't reach that soprano."

"Is there something I need to know?" Red X asked.

Raven, Starfire, and Blackfire turned to Red X and said in complete unison, "No."

"You . . . are all weird," Violet stated.

"Oh, yeah, we're the weird ones," Raven drawled sarcastically. "You're the one who dresses in purple latex. What does that say about your own proclivities?"

Violet looked down at herself. "Hmm . . ."

"Gee, thanks, Raven," Red X sniped. "Now you'll make her cover up."

"If I couldn't do that with Blackfire, what makes you think I could do that with her?" Raven asked.

"Could we please stop talking about sex?" Nightwing asked. "As much as I'd like to engage in it, there are more important things on my mind right now."

"Like what?" Blackfire pouted.

"Rij'ze wants to remind this city's scum why they're so afraid of me in the first place," Nightwing answered.

"That's almost as good as sex," Blackfire remarked.

"Like I said, nymphomaniac," Raven muttered to Violet.

"I heard that, little bluebird," Blackfire sneered.

"Ravens are blackbirds," Raven retorted.

Nightwing sighed. This was exactly why he never had foursomes, or threesomes where the other two were Raven and Blackfire. It was just a headache to have to keep them from trying to outdo each other all the time. At first, he'd found it perversely adorable, and had certainly gotten his own jollies out of it while in the bedroom, but it started grating on him how neither could bring themselves to some form of civility in the other's presence.

"I'm gonna go out," he said, slipping out of Blackfire's embrace and standing up. He looked to his team. "You guys can escort Violet out." In a blur of lightning-like black fire, he was gone out the door that would have led to his civilian identity's apartment, said door closing before Violet could get a good look inside, jumping out the window of said apartment. He plummeted twenty stories before landing on the street in a crouch, diffusing his power so that he didn't cause even a small earthquake with his landing yet tapping enough of it to hold his bones and muscles together through that landing.

_Time to go to work,_ Rij'ze whispered.

* * *

End Notes: The title is actually German for "Black Dragon Fire." Violet is not exactly an OC, but a fusion of a character that appeared in Chuck Dixon's post-Infinite Crisis run on Robin and a member of Catwoman's supporting cast in her comic. If you want to know who that character is, you're just going to have to keep reading. "Angelica Blaze" is not an OC, either, just an obscure character from the DC Comics mythos. You'll find out what she's about soon enough, and both she and Violet will have significant roles to play in this story. If you're curious, your wait for the next chapter will not be long, and your patience will be rewarded. In the meantime, thanks for reading.


	2. Supercharger Brimstone

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 2: "Supercharger Brimstone"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, its print original, and the larger universe inhabited by it belongs to DC Comics and Warner Brothers. I don't make any money from this story whatsoever.

Author's note: For those of you who actually wanted to see a second chapter, here it is, with 75 percent more action, 50 percent more drama, and 50 percent more of Nightwing being badass. Plus, you're going to start seeing the demonic forces driving the plot of this story. If you want to know what I'm talking about, you'll just have to keep reading.

* * *

Nightwing had called his motorcycle to him through a homing beacon, and was now riding it through the city. The motorcycle was a beautiful black beast, with its front shaped like a dragon's skull and the chassis resembling folded dragon's wings. When the headlights shone, much as they were now, they resembled the glowing eyes of a dragon, terrifying more criminally minded onlookers into submission. Those headlights warned others that he was coming, and those that knew he was coming and had reason to fear his coming . . . would know even greater terrors at his hands.

At this present point, he crashed through a window into the meeting place of one Angelica Blaze's criminal cohorts, prompting multiple shouts of "What the fuck?!" Nightwing simply landed gracefully inside, removing his helmet and exaggeratedly shaking his hair, short and spiky as he tended to keep it. He got off the motorcycle and smiled with grim amusement at the tableau before him.

"Evening, boys and girls," he greeted. He eyed the table where they'd been sitting. "Are those yours?"

"Yeah," Blaze replied. "And you are trespassing."

Nightwing chuckled, inhaling through his nose. "Nothing like the fresh scent of brimstone in the evening."

"You're irritating me now," Blaze said. She looked to her men. "Kill this intruder. Now."

No sooner had Blaze's men raised their guns than they found themselves disarmed and looking at their empty hands in dumb surprise. "How did he . . . ?"

"Sleight of hand," Nightwing replied. "I'm an expert at making things disappear."

"What did you do with our guns, punk?!" the most imposing of the men asked.

Nightwing gestured toward a pile of slag in the corner. "Oh, those were your guns? That's too bad, big guy. Way too bad. I'll get you new ones."

"You may go," Blaze ordered her men.

"Boss, are you serious?" the imposing man asked.

"Yeah, we can't leave you alone with this guy!" a smaller, craftier-looking man agreed.

"That wasn't a request," Blaze hissed. "Now go. I'm not afraid of this pale imitation of Batman."

The men reluctantly filed out, keeping Nightwing in their sights as they left. They might not have had their guns anymore, but if that freak did anything to their boss, they were going to have words with him, very violent words. Then again, with the way their boss had been so confident and unafraid in Nightwing's presence, maybe she had an edge that they weren't aware of. For her sake, they hoped she did . . . and maybe for theirs, too; a steady paycheck was a steady paycheck, after all.

"Nightwing," Blaze purred.

"What are you doing here, Blaze?" Nightwing interrogated, unaffected by her tone.

"I'm just a lady looking to make an easy living," Blaze replied. "Is that so wrong?"

"On far too many levels to count, yes," Nightwing answered. "But that's not why I'm here."

Blaze smirked. "Then why are you here, O Chevalier of Shadows?"

Nightwing set his jaw in a grim expression. "You don't belong here."

"Who says so? You? Your pet dragon?"

Rij'ze roared furiously in Nightwing's mind. _Miserable harridan! I should rip her foul heart out and feed it to her!_

Blaze chuckled. "I see he didn't take too kindly to that. Poor little Shadowlord, to have been brought so low. But I guess you weren't that great in the first place, were you?"

"How do you know about Rij'ze?" Nightwing asked.

"You are right in that I'm not from here," Blaze answered. "My usual domain . . . is much hotter than this."

Nightwing raised one fist, dark violet flames circling around his arm. "You're going back where you came from."

"Do you really think I'll stoop so low as to fight a human? Even one of your unique status?"

"I think you don't have a choice in the matter," Nightwing snarled, and launched the shadow fire in a dragon-shaped wave of destruction. The wave never even reached Blaze, being entirely absorbed by a figure that had transposed itself in front of her. "What? Who are _you?_"

The smokescreen resulting from Nightwing's attack faded, revealing a pink-haired teenage girl dressed in a black short kimono. "I'm Videl."

"It's time, Videl," Blaze whispered. "Make him wish he were dead."

"Yes, Master," Videl answered, raising a black crystal sculpture in her hand. "Seven Shadows, dark immolation!"

Immediately, the crystal shattered and its shards embedded themselves in her bare arms, shoulders, legs, and even forehead. The shards glowed brightly and seven-pointed crimson runes formed above her head and below her feet. The cycling energies wrapped around her, embracing her, merging with her in an explosion of hellfire and black light. It was all Nightwing could do to remain standing, and when he got a good look at her . . .

It was Videl, only vastly changed. She was taller, more voluptuous, and was showing off her new body in a black leather costume with an obscenely large diamond shape cut out of the midriff, leaving nearly the entirety of her abs exposed. Her eyes, instead of being a honeyed brown, were now an infernal crimson and her lips were painted a sinful scarlet.

"Barbatos's greed. Beelzebub's gluttony. Belphegor's sloth. Cacodemon's wrath. Leviathan's envy. Lilith's lust. Lucifer's pride. The power of the Seven Shadows, embodied in I . . . Videl."

_You scared, Rij'ze?_ Nightwing asked.

_I hate to say it, but . . . yes,_ Rij'ze replied. _The Seven Shadows are seven of the strongest Fallen. If this girl has their power inside her, we're going to be in for a nasty fight. And that's even if we win._

"Let's do this," Videl challenged, and darted in front of Nightwing with blinding speed, delivering a backhanded slap that sent him flying out through the same window he'd shattered to enter. The slap had come with such force that it propelled him through at least five buildings in quick succession. When he stopped, it wasn't of his own volition, but rather because Videl had grabbed him by his hair. She spun him for a hammer throw, sending him rocketing to the street and skidding along said street, only stopping when Videl landed in front of him.

"No more fucking around," Nightwing snarled, rising to his feet. He went into a spinning kick, only for Videl to block it with one hand and spin him into the air. Nightwing twisted in midair and came down with a corkscrew kick to the head. He was about to flip off her, but she grabbed his ankles and slammed him down on the street. Nightwing got up again, and drew a pair of staves that he extended into laser blades with one press of the button on each.

"Ooh, pretty," Videl mocked.

Nightwing combined the two blades into a laser lance, taking advantage of his skills in staff fighting. He swung the laser lance at Videl, who caught the end he'd pointed at her with her bare hand. Nightwing tried to pull it out, but she was gripping it far too hard to let him do so. He detached one of the blades from the lance and swung it at her, only for her to flip her half of the laser lance and block his. Nightwing pushed desperately against her, but she was not giving an inch . . . and it didn't even look like she was _trying._

"Come on," Videl mocked. "Is this all you have?"

Deciding he would get nowhere by simply trying to match her force with his, Nightwing punched her in her exposed stomach, trying to knock her off-balance. Unfortunately, Videl caught his wrist and twisted _hard,_ eliciting a pained wince from Nightwing as it broke. She then kneed him in the solar plexus with enough force to have probably broken something. As Nightwing bent double from the force of the impact, Videl chopped him in the spine, knocking him to the ground. Nightwing rolled out of the way just in time to avoid a brutal platform-heeled stomp to his stomach.

Fighting his way to his feet, Nightwing brandished his laser blade. Videl simply nonchalantly held the laser blade she had acquired from Nightwing, loosely pointing it in mock challenge. Nightwing snarled and zoomed toward her, only for her to block his blade with hers and grab him by his broken wrist. She squeezed viciously, just to accentuate the pain he was already feeling, and then threw him aside. Nightwing contorted in midair and landed on his feet, only for Videl to dart behind him . . . and slash him with the laser blade she held.

"How . . . ?"

"Speed. Pure and simple."

_Damn it!_ Nightwing thought. _Not only is she stronger than me, she's faster, too!_

_You're holding back,_ Rij'ze snarled. _Don't. Not if you expect to live._

_You do realize what happened the last time I fully tapped your powers,_ Nightwing thought.

_Doesn't matter now,_ Rij'ze answered.

He was right, Nightwing realized, with a sickness that broiled in his gut. Nightwing drew upon the familiar and awful shadow fires that were his inheritance from Rij'ze, channeling them through his still-functioning arm. The fire exploded from his arm, taking the shape of a dragon and lunging at Videl, who simply blocked it with her laser sword.

"Is this all you can do?!" she taunted him. "If it is, I'm not impressed!"

"Really?" Nightwing's voice asked from behind her. Videl whirled, just in time for Nightwing to slash her with his laser sword. To his surprise, she just laughed, a loud, crazed noise that terrified Nightwing to the core of his soul.

"Yes! Yes! That's the spirit!" she shrieked, her hands filled with hellish fire. She moved her hands about, as though in a ritualistic dance, channeling and molding the hellfire to her will. When she finished, she shot a wave of hellfire in the shape of a great demonic serpent. Nightwing answered with another dragon-shaped wave of shadow fire, the two blasts colliding and struggling against each other. Mirroring the struggle of the fiery dragon and serpent spirits were Nightwing and Videl, brutally matching each other in hand-to-hand combat.

"You're insane," Nightwing snarled.

"Don't tell me you never enjoyed a fight," Videl retorted tartly, blocking his punch and dealing a punch of her own. Nightwing refused to be brought low by her strike and spun into a kick that caught her in the side. Videl simply careened into an acrobatic tumble, springing up onto her feet and darting behind Nightwing to catch him by surprise. Nightwing whirled to block her punch, but she had struck with such force that every bone in his hand shattered.

_That's both hands gone now,_ Nightwing thought.

_So? Fight with your feet,_ Rij'ze suggested, sounding bored.

Nightwing jumped into the air, coming down for a brutal kick, which Videl caught and used to throw him into a nearby car. Forcing himself to his feet, Nightwing threw himself into a low sweeping kick meant to knock Videl's legs out from under her. Unfortunately, she simply shot herself into the air, somersaulting _ten times_ before coming down with a kick that would have knocked Nightwing's shoulder out of commission if he hadn't dodged in time. He channeled the shadow fire through his feet, launching himself into a flying kick that, by all means, should have tagged Videl.

Of course, that didn't account for her simply sidestepping his kick, grabbing his ankle, and _twisting_ hard enough to break it. Again, Nightwing forced himself to his feet, despite the fact that balancing his weight so that not very much of it rested on his broken ankle was a very difficult task. He clenched his unbroken hand into a fist, despite the fact that the wrist was nearly useless, and channeled Rij'ze's power into it, projecting it as yet another dragon-shaped wave of black fire. This time, Videl sliced it into nothingness with her bare hands, lunging through its remnants to tackle him to the ground.

"You're very persistent," she purred. "I like persistent men."

"You're not my type," Nightwing snarled. He struggled, but she had him trapped, and with three out of four of his limbs broken somewhere he was in no real position to fight back.

"I think I can change your mind on that," Videl answered.

Nightwing managed to laugh. "I think not." A surge of shadow fire forced Videl off him, only for her to flip gracefully in midair and land agilely on the ground. He was about to charge up another shadow flame blast when a chill ran down his spine, followed by a spike of pain at the back of his head. "Raven . . ."

"Aw, is that your girlfriend?" Videl mocked. "Too bad she's probably getting reamed by one of Trigon's or Neron's lackeys."

"Trigon's dead," Nightwing snarled.

"You can't kill a demon lord, fool," Videl answered. "All you can do is destroy their material manifestation in this world."

"I don't have time for this shit!" Nightwing screamed, throwing a scythe-like wave of fiery black destruction at Videl, who cut through it like she did the last one. By the time she did, Nightwing was fleeing as fast as he could with one undamaged leg. He was going pretty fast, she noticed, but nothing she couldn't match . . . or outpace.

"Running away so soon?" she asked, easily keeping pace with him. "And we were having so much fun, too."

Despite having a broken hand and a broken wrist, Nightwing attempted to punch Videl, who caught his hand and threw him over her shoulder. Nightwing flipped and twisted into a kick with his uninjured leg, only for Videl to catch it and slam him to the ground. Nightwing flipped onto his feet, stifling a wince as he landed on his broken ankle and drawing Wingblades from hidden compartments in his suit. He threw the Wingblades at Videl, killing intent behind them. While she dodged, she dodged right into an ambush from Nightwing, who'd run her through with a hand covered in dark violet flames.

"In this business, you don't bare anything unless you can't be killed," he snarled. "And even then, it's good to take precautions."

Figuring he'd at least slowed her down, Nightwing dropped her and ran for his base of operations. His bones were screaming with pain, the ones that had actually been broken screaming loudest, but he was not going to let something as minor and insignificant as pain stop him. The people he loved were in danger, and if he let pain stop him from saving them, he wasn't going to forgive himself any time in the immediate future.

_You know, we can get there faster if we use the shadows,_ Rij'ze suggested.

_Teleportation?_ Nightwing deduced.

_Yes,_ Rij'ze confirmed. _We've merged just enough now that you can begin using my stronger abilities despite the relative frailty of your human physiology. Shadow transmission just happens to be one of those abilities._

_So let's do it,_ Nightwing snarled, throwing himself into the darkest shadow available.

* * *

When he reemerged, it was in his base . . . which was currently in a state of pandemonium as Starfire, Raven, Blackfire, Red X, and Violet fought someone he recognized all too well. It was Psimon from the Brotherhood of Evil, but he looked as though he'd gotten some major upgrades. For one thing, his fashion sense had improved, judging by the teal tuxedo and fuchsia shirt he now wore, and his formerly exposed brain was protected by a transparent glass dome. For another, he was casually multitasking with his telekinetic abilities, holding off the others while searching for something.

Wasting no more time, Nightwing speed-blitzed Psimon, attacking him furiously despite the wounds he had suffered at Videl's hands. Psimon telekinetically repelled Nightwing, only for Nightwing to bounce off the ceiling and twist into a flying kick, which impacted a telekinetic force field. Nightwing flipped off it and landed on his feet, drawing his staff and extending laser blades from each end. Nightwing slashed at Psimon, only for Psimon to catch his blade and pull Nightwing closer for a telekinesis-augmented punch that sent him flying into a wall.

"Nice try, boy," Psimon mocked. "Truly, your effort was impressive. It simply wasn't impressive enough."

"Go to hell," Nightwing snarled, forcing himself to his feet.

"Hey, boss," Red X greeted. "You look really fucked up. Getting soft?"

"You can make fun of me later," Nightwing answered. "Right now, we gotta get this bastard out of our house."

Raven and Psimon traded telekinetic attacks, throwing anything not bolted down at each other with the force of their wills behind it. When those failed, they threw knives of focused will at each other, but Psimon wasn't just throwing them at her . . . he was throwing them at the others, too, which split Raven's focus between protecting her teammates and fighting Psimon. A clever strategy on Psimon's part, but he failed to deduce that the others might not just stand there and let themselves be attacked.

The epic nature of that failure was made very clear when Red X stabbed Psimon with laser blades extended from the X's on his gauntlets. Psimon roared in outrage, telekinetically blasting Red X, only for Violet to flip over X and kick Psimon in the face. "_INSECTS! You dare wound me?!_"

Green and violet starbolts slammed into Psimon, pelting him again and again with the kind of persistence that would make Batman jealous. "You will get out of our home at once!" Starfire ordered.

"You can . . ." Psimon snarled, telekinetically blasting Starfire and Blackfire. "Go to hell."

"Raven!" Nightwing shouted. "You know that puppeteer technique you've been working on?!"

"What are you thinking?" Raven asked.

"Use it on me!" Nightwing answered.

"Are you serious?!" Raven inquired. "You're talking about surrendering your autonomy!"

"My autonomy is useless!" Nightwing retorted. "I'm too banged up to fight at my best! With you controlling my body, I don't have to worry about hurting myself worse than I've already been hurt!"

Raven sighed. "Just like you . . ." Strings of shadow wrapped around Nightwing's limbs and fingers. "Let's do this."

"Two against one," Psimon remarked mockingly. "Come."

"Gladly!" Raven and Nightwing shouted at the same time, Raven using her shadow strings to direct Nightwing into a drop kick. Psimon threw up a telekinetic force field to block, only to be surprised when Nightwing's feet pierced his shield and struck him in the chest, knocking him down.

"How?" Psimon growled.

"Who wants to explain?" Nightwing asked mockingly.

"I think we'll keep that trick our little secret," Raven agreed, smirking. "Isn't that right, Nightwing?"

Psimon threw knives of focused will at Nightwing, who on Raven's direction simply dodged them with a mocking ease. Once close enough, Nightwing lunged into a flying kick that brought Psimon low again. Psimon got back on his feet and began attacking Nightwing with telekinesis-enhanced strikes. On Raven's direction, Nightwing blocked Psimon's attacks and retaliated with blows augmented by fiery shadows.

"Time to end this," Nightwing snarled. "Raven?"

"I would agree with you there," Raven purred, her tone almost sadistic.

On her direction, Nightwing clapped both hands together, projecting a dark violet wraith blade. Surrounding him was a massive black aura resembling a raven with four red eyes, with a black phantom dragon wrapped around the raven as though embracing it. Both aura creatures looked down at Psimon with the same amount of interest one would give to a dead man.

"What . . . what in Trigon's name is this?" Psimon asked.

"You sure you wanna know?" Nightwing asked, a dark smirk creeping onto his face.

Red X, Violet, Starfire, and Blackfire looked at Nightwing and Raven with awe, horror, and a little bit of fear. "Just what the _fuck_ is that?" Violet asked.

"My guess? It's Dickwing and Raven combining powers," Red X replied. "Or something like that."

Psimon threw up a telekinetic shield to protect himself, in the form of a massive dome that encased his entire body. "That won't do you much good," Raven whispered menacingly. "Do it, Nightwing."

"I was going to, anyway," Nightwing answered, and on Raven's direction sliced through Psimon's shield, cutting him down in the process.

As the auras of the raven and the dragon faded into general blackness, Nightwing looked down on Psimon. "What do you want here?"

"The ring," Psimon answered, seemingly unmindful of the profusely bleeding wound Nightwing had dealt him. "I will be back for it, and when next I come, I will be better prepared for you." A portal of dark red flame formed beneath Psimon's body and he sank into it, just before Nightwing could reach him and pull him out. Of course, it didn't help that Raven had released her shadow strings . . . and without them, Nightwing collapsed on the floor.

"Nightwing!" Starfire exclaimed, flying over to him with Blackfire.

"You know how I said he looked kind of fucked up?" Red X remarked, utterly somber for once. "I wasn't just fucking with him."

"Damn . . ." Blackfire mumbled. "What the hell happened to you out there?"

"I was right about Blaze," Nightwing groaned. "Or Rij'ze was. She really was some kind of demon, and she had a servant. She did this."

"Man, that's a beating," Violet remarked.

"You've got a broken wrist, a broken hand, a broken ankle, a lot of cracked ribs and at least one broken, and some of your vertebrae are a little out of place," Raven analyzed her lover's injuries.

"How the fuck could anyone survive all that?" Violet asked, both awed and horrified. "What the fuck is he?"

"He is Nightwing," Starfire replied in an unusually dark tone. "That is all you need to know."

"Ok, ok, sorry I asked," Violet said. "Is he gonna be ok?"

"Why?" Raven interrogated. "Why, damn you?"

Nightwing rolled his eyes up to look at her. "I could sense that you were in trouble. I wasn't going to let anything happen to you, no matter what condition I was in. I love you, Raven." He looked up at Starfire and Blackfire. "All of you."

"That extra charge I gave you ought to help Rij'ze heal your injuries faster," Raven said.

"Yeah," Nightwing murmured. "I can tell it's working. My bones feel better already."

"You think we ought to get him somewhere he can rest?" Violet suggested.

"You sound awfully concerned," Blackfire remarked.

"Hey, I'm looking out for my meal ticket," Violet answered. "That's all."

Blackfire laughed. "I can understand that. Girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do."

"I'll take care of him," Raven answered Violet's question, gently lifting Nightwing in her arms. She looked at Starfire, Blackfire, and Red X. "Will someone cover Violet's eyes? I don't want her seeing where I'm taking him."

"Sure," Red X replied, and placed his hands over Violet's eyes in a makeshift blindfold.

"You know, if I'm gonna be part of this team, you're going to have to trust me," Violet remarked.

"Except you're not part of this team," Blackfire answered. "Not really."

* * *

Raven didn't get to hear Violet's answer, as she had already phased through the door leading to the civilian apartment Nightwing shared with her and the Tamaranean princesses. She carried Nightwing to his room and gently laid him on the bed. Once that was done, she began divesting him of his armor, slowly and carefully, not wanting to aggravate his injuries further. After that was over with, she pulled him out of the underlying body-sheath as gently as she could.

"How are you feeling?" Raven inquired.

"I can feel my bones setting themselves," Nightwing replied. "Gonna be a while before I'm one hundred percent, though. Nobody's gonna wait for that, of course."

"Least of all you," Raven observed. "As soon as you think you can stand the pain, you're gonna be up again and ready to go after whoever did this to you."

Nightwing laughed. "You always knew me best."

Raven grew serious. "Who did this to you?"

"A girl calling herself Videl," Nightwing explained. "She's Blaze's servant, and she was able to invoke the Seven Shadows' powers to transform into a Superman-class metahuman that kicked nine kinds of hell out of me."

"Seven Shadows?" Raven asked.

"According to Rij'ze, they're seven of the strongest of the Fallen," Nightwing clarified. "Pretty high up on Hell's food chain, although I'm not sure how high."

"You sure you're going to be ok?" Raven's eyes were full of worry and concern for him.

Nightwing smiled. "I'll be fine. I'll be even better as soon as I can figure out just who Angelica Blaze really is and what she's really after, but I don't think she's the only one we have to worry about."

Raven's eyes hardened. "Psimon was after the ring Violet stole from Blaze, and whatever power that ring has, him having it is _not_ going to be a good thing for the universe."

"Especially if he gives it to Trigon."

Raven looked away, only for Nightwing to reach out and take her hand in his. "Dick?"

"I'm not letting anything happen to you, Rae," Nightwing whispered. "You hear me? Whatever Trigon wants, whoever he sends, we're going to beat them together."

Raven gently squeezed Nightwing's hand. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

The violet-haired half-demon kissed Nightwing on the lips. "Get some rest. I'll try to keep Blackfire from molesting you while you're helpless."

_Who says we would mind her "molesting" us?_ Rij'ze whispered in Nightwing's mind, prompting a soft chuckle from the bedridden young man.

"I heard that," Raven said, gliding out of the room through the wall, which she dematerialized through.

Nightwing sighed and laid back, his mask the only part of his costume that was still on. He would have asked Raven why she didn't take it off, but then he remembered a certain truth behind the mask: It was pretty damn sexy. With that in mind, he sighed and mumbled to himself, "Love is hard."

_Not nearly as hard as you get when Blackfire's . . ._ Rij'ze finished his sentence with an assault of mental images of Blackfire at her most enticing.

"Rij'ze . . . you're going to be the death of me," Nightwing remarked.

_Fool mortal, I'm your salvation._

"Whatever. Just let me get my sleep."

_Don't worry. It'll be a beautiful sleep, my vessel. . . ._

_Why does that not make me feel better?_ Nightwing wondered.

* * *

End Notes: There you have it. Nightwing got pretty messed up, but he seems to be well on the path to recovery, especially with Raven playing nurse. Who else will show up to play nurse, though? What other demonic threats will arise to challenge Nightwing and his Titans? Who will arise to fight alongside Nightwing against the forces of darkness? And what is Violet's secret, anyway? For the answers to those questions and others, you'll just have to read on. Thanks for getting through this chapter, though.


	3. Living Dead Girls

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 3: "Living Dead Girls"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, its print original, and the larger universe it inhabits belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers. I make no money from this story whatsoever, and my only profit is emotional satisfaction.

Author's note: Yeah, Nightwing got messed up pretty badly. Of course, he has plenty of heroic resolve, so it's not like he's just going to lie down and play dead, no matter how much his lovers suggest he get some rest. He's not even going to have time for rest, because Neron, Trigon, and Blaze are not yet done with their schemes, and maybe Nightwing and the gang have bitten off a little more than they can chew. In that case, what else will they do besides rely on the help of old . . . and new . . . friends?

* * *

"Rise and shine, Nightwing," a sensuous voice purred.

Nightwing drifted back into the world of the waking, aroused by a deliciously pungent scent. It took him a few seconds, but he quickly realized the scent was Blackfire's. His eyes fluttered open beneath his mask and he became aware of two things almost simultaneously. One, Blackfire was straddling his chest while wearing a very small, very tight nurse's uniform. Two . . . she wasn't wearing anything beneath that skirt, which was hiked up so far that he could see . . .

"Blackfire?" Nightwing uttered.

"Yes, love?" Blackfire asked.

Nightwing chuckled. "Let me guess. You're my nurse, and you're trying some unconventional physical therapy."

"You really are a great detective," Blackfire remarked indulgently. "Yes, that is what I have in mind, more or less."

"If that's what you wanna go with," Nightwing murmured, grabbing Blackfire by her backside and pulling her closer so that she was straddling his face rather than his chest.

Blackfire chortled amusedly. "Oh, Nightwing . . . stop . . ."

"You sure about that?" Nightwing's smirk was full of mischief, just before he pushed his face closer to demonstrate the full extent of his "oratory" skills.

This was the scene Starfire had the luck to walk in on, her sister writhing ecstatically on her knees with her boyfriend's face buried between her thighs. It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what was going on, but Starfire was not exactly an idiot, no matter what some people would think. She fought down a surge of jealousy and calmly parted her lips to speak.

"Sister . . . are you sure this will assist Nightwing's recovery?" she asked.

"Yeah . . . it'll help . . ." Blackfire replied between gasps and quiet moans.

"If you are certain, but should Nightwing not receive pleasure as well?" Starfire wondered.

"Volunteering?" Blackfire taunted, before letting out a deep moan.

Starfire knew exactly what was going on. Blackfire was taunting her, challenging her, as she had done in their childhood and early adolescence. Unfortunately for Blackfire, Starfire was no longer that retiring child who would shrink back from her challenges; Nightwing and the other Titans had seen to that. With a wicked smirk, she walked over to the bed and pulled down the covers concealing Nightwing's nudity.

"Do you two mind?" a frosty voice asked. "Nightwing's supposed to be resting, and what you two are doing with him is _not_ any definition of restful I've ever heard of."

"Raven," Blackfire answered just as frostily. "You mind? Some of us are actually trying to have fun."

"Nightwing needs his rest," Raven answered. "Demonically accelerated healing or not, he still took a beating out there."

"And how am I supposed to trust that you simply aren't trying to get him for yourself?" Blackfire sneered.

"Damn it," Nightwing snarled. "Quit arguing . . ."

"Sorry, Night," Blackfire whispered. "But some people need to learn how to share!"

"Really?" Raven mocked, her hands glowing black.

Blackfire removed herself from Nightwing, her buzz entirely killed by Raven's impromptu arrival. Her hands glowed violet with the starbolt power inherent to the Tamaranean royal bloodline. Starfire moved between the two, trying to mediate while holding up her own starbolt-charged hands as an implied threat. If either Raven or Blackfire got too far out of line, she wouldn't hesitate to shoot them both down.

"Sister, Raven, stop this," she said. "Nightwing would not want you to fight over him."

"Some people need to learn a little bit of respect," Raven hissed.

"Back at you," Blackfire retorted acidly.

Nightwing threw off the covers and got out of bed, not minding or caring about his nudity. "Quit arguing," he repeated, more insistently and with a harder edge to his tone.

"I told them to let you rest," Raven hissed. "They refused to heed my advice."

"Maybe I needed a little TLC," Nightwing remarked wryly. "I appreciate you looking out for me, but I'm not made of glass . . . and even if I were, it would be reinforced glass."

"See? No reason to worry." Blackfire looked and sounded incredibly self-satisfied.

Raven growled, a demonic rumble rising from her throat. "You . . ."

"Quit arguing," Nightwing repeated, his tone a snarl. "If you don't, I'm going to bind you two together and leave you that way until you learn to at least be civil to one another."

"You wouldn't," Blackfire said.

Nightwing smirked. "Don't test me, Blackfire. Not on this."

Raven was grateful she was still wearing her hood, as it concealed her crimson blush. After all, Nightwing was still naked, and the fact that he still managed to be somewhat threatening. . . . Raven would never admit this to anyone outside of possibly Starfire, but it was quite a turn-on. That didn't necessarily mean she wanted to lock Nightwing up in a secret chamber for her molesting pleasure alone, but she was not going to let Blackfire impede Nightwing's recovery so she could get her jollies.

Blackfire sighed. "Fine. If you and Raven want to be alone, sure. But she better not do anything funny with you!"

"Don't worry," Nightwing responded. "I'll be fine."

"Come on, sis," Blackfire said. "Let's leave the lovebirds alone."

Starfire followed, but not before giving Nightwing a passionate kiss on the lips for luck, one Nightwing eagerly reciprocated. She could feel the heat of his nude body against her own exposed skin and it did very pleasurable things to her. If it wasn't for the fact that he wanted to be alone with Raven, she would have prolonged the kiss. Alas, they had to part company, at least for the moment. They would have other moments in the future, she trusted.

Once the Tamaranean princesses were out of the room, Raven looked at Nightwing somewhat hesitantly. Nightwing sauntered closer to Raven, and Raven wasn't sure if he was just that careless or if he knew what he was doing to her and reveling in it. Judging by the casual, almost relaxed smirk on his face, it was probably the latter or some twisted hybrid of both.

"Want me?" he asked softly.

"Dick, I . . . you're still . . ." Raven tried to say.

"A little TLC never hurt anyone," Nightwing answered. "And you make just as fine a nurse as Blackfire." He gently removed the hood of her cloak and nestled his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder, his nose almost touching the nape of her neck.

_What are you waiting for, fool?_ Raven's demon side asked. _He's made it perfectly clear that he wants you! Embrace him!_

Raven reached up slowly, her hand finding its way to the back of his head and caressing his hair. Nightwing pulled his head up so that he was looking at her, and moved to kiss her. Raven moved closer, meeting his mouth with hers in a gentle yet steamy kiss that promised much more to come. In that moment, all thought except the pleasure that awaited her melted from her mind.

* * *

Elsewhere, Red X and Violet were painting the town red; not literally, they were just cruising the city on Red X's motorcycle looking for troublemakers. Red X held the ring Violet had stolen in his belt, desperately hoping that damned thing didn't send a homing beacon to any demons looking for it. "You know, you've gotten us into a real fine mess, you know that?" he grumbled to Violet.

"You would have been in that mess anyway, Fuckwit," Violet retorted.

"It's X," Red X answered. "_Red X._"

"Whatever," Violet scoffed. "I had no idea that ring was evil."

"It's evil, all right. If it's got the Queen of the Damned scared, it's evil."

Violet snickered. "Queen of the Damned. Had no idea you were an Anne Rice fan."

"Back in the day," Red X clarified offhandedly.

"So what got you into the whole theft trade in the first place?"

"I'll answer if you will."

"Why should I tell you? I'm the one who asked."

"Lady, when you wear a mask, secrets are your prerogative . . . and a prerequisite."

"Is that your way of saying you're not going to tell me?" Violet presumed.

"Damn straight," Red X confirmed.

As he rode, Red X received a sudden flash of something so utterly _inhuman_ that he lost control of his bike. "X!" Violet yelled. "What the hell?!"

Red X managed to right his bike, but not before skidding uncomfortably close to a tall, imposing black-armored man. A horn resembling a sword blade protruded from the man's helmet, as spikes did from his shoulder guards. A burning eye-like orb took up most of his torso, while another burning eye-like orb was situated in the center of the guard of his sword, which was almost as large as him and had a burning blade and bonelike hilt.

"Who the fuck are you?!" Red X shouted.

"Such impetuousness," the armored man remarked in a coldly familiar monotone. "It'll get you killed one of these days."

"What can I say, I like living on the edge," Red X retorted. "Now, who are you?"

"You once called me Slade," the man replied. "Now I will be an eternal nightmare to you."

"Slade!" Red X shouted, extending the energy blades within his gauntlets and slashing at him. With inhuman speed, Slade blocked both blades with his giant sword. "What the . . . ?"

"Surprised, Red X?" Slade mocked, before a pulse of energy from his sword threw the black-clad thief away from him and into a crash-landing on the hard pavement.

"Oh, shit," Violet swore. "X, get up! How the fuck do you expect me to fight him by myself?!"

"Scared, little girl?" Slade asked coldly.

Violet gritted her teeth beneath her mask, steeling herself. "You shit!" She ran at Slade and attempted to punch him, only for Slade to block her punch with his gauntleted fist. Hitting him, for Violet, turned out to be the equivalent of hitting solid steel; in other words, she damn near broke her hand.

"Foolish," Slade mocked, batting her aside. Violet had just enough presence of mind, despite her shock, to twist into an awkward landing. "Really. Is this all you can do? Where's Nightwing?"

"You'll have to go through us first," Red X retorted, throwing explosive X-shuriken at Slade, who simply blurred into seeming nothingness, only to reappear behind Red X. Before the thief could react, Slade struck him in the back of the neck, knocking him down for the count.

"X!" Violet yelled. Inside her head, her thoughts were running a hundred miles a minute. _Oh, fuck, oh, fuck, oh, fuck, oh, fuck, what do I do? How do I fight this son of a bitch? Where's Nightwing or his girlfriends?_

* * *

Speaking of "Nightwing's girlfriends," two of them were flying above the city, Blackfire somewhat ahead of Starfire. The elder of the sisters smirked devilishly when she saw the tableau below them. "Something for me to take out my frustrations on . . ." she purred, going into a high-speed dive.

"Blackfire! Wait!" Starfire shouted, diving after her.

Below, the armored demon once known as Slade looked up and saw Blackfire diving at him, glowing fists extended. Without thinking about it, he blocked her fists with his demon sword, but Blackfire flipped and kicked him in the head. Slade attempted to strike her, but Blackfire blocked his sword with her hand, although the blade was indescribably hot, hot enough to burn. She fired a starbolt with her other hand at Slade, only for his armor to almost effortlessly absorb it.

"What the hell?!" Blackfire exclaimed.

"You're half-right," Slade answered coolly, his sword generating a pulse of energy that threw Blackfire away. Blackfire righted herself in midair, just as Starfire began pelting Slade with starbolts, which Slade blocked by merely raising the flat of his sword. The starbolts bounced off Slade's blade and ricocheted all around, hitting random buildings and cars and the street. Starfire gasped in shock, both at the inadvertent damage she had caused and at the monstrous power at Slade's disposal.

"What have you done to yourself?" she asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to die never knowing," Slade retorted. He swung his sword, sending a bladed pulse of energy at Starfire, who generated a starbolt field around herself for protection. Unfortunately, the pulse blade cut through her field and knocked her out of the sky, only for Blackfire to catch her.

"You better be ok," Blackfire grumbled. "I'm not gonna tell Nightwing and Raven that you got killed."

"I will be all right, sister, though I appreciate your concern," Starfire answered.

"Wanna tag-team this asshole?" Blackfire asked.

"It would be my pleasure to join forces with you on this, Blackfire," Starfire replied.

The sisters attacked Slade from opposite sides, but to no avail, as Slade's reflexes were terrifying in spite of his size and the armor and sword did nothing to slow him down. That did not stop either sister, though; if starbolts would not suffice, then barehanded combat would do just fine. The sisters launched themselves into a double jump kick, only for Slade to block their kicks with the flat of his sword. They used the sword as a springboard, somersaulted in the air roughly ten times, and performed a dual drop kick.

The dual kick did stagger Slade, but it didn't seem to faze him all that much, as he swung his sword, the sword emitting an energy pulse that slammed Starfire and Blackfire into the ground. Both sisters got up and flew at Slade, attacking him as one. It was to no avail, as Slade casually blocked their attacks with the hand that wasn't holding his sword.

"He . . . what is he?" Starfire asked.

"An eternal nightmare," Slade replied. "That is what I am."

He brought down the sword, slashing them both even though the blade had never touched them. Both sisters staggered, trying to stay afoot in the face of their injuries. "If you think that's going to stop us, you're wrong," Blackfire snarled.

"Of course," Slade answered coolly. "I would be most disappointed if that was all it took to stop you. I am going to enjoy mailing your corpses to Nightwing. I wonder how he'll take it. Rather poorly, I assume, especially with the dragon's savagery and bloodlust a part of his being. He'll hate me, and in that hate, he'll be all the stronger . . . and all the worthier of facing me."

"What do you want, Slade?" Starfire asked.

"Ah, someone's finally asked," Slade mocked. "I suppose you're _not_ the stupid one, after all, no matter who says to the contrary."

Starfire shot an optic blast at Slade, which Slade deflected with his sword. "I am not playing with you, Slade. Tell us, or I will be even less inclined toward mercy than I am now."

"Very well. It is the ring Red X currently bears on his person, the one a certain upstart thief appropriated. I want it."

"For what?"

"Why should I tell you? Better to kill you all and take it."

Suddenly, a black lion formed out of energy tackled Slade, mauling him. Slade angrily threw the energy lion off him, only for the lion to land on its feet and lunge at Slade again. With a mighty swing of his sword, Slade cut the lion-shaped energy attack apart, although it seemed to taken something out of him. He growled furiously, seeking out his attacker.

"Hello," a low, gravelly yet feminine voice greeted from the shadows. Out of those shadows stepped a dark-haired, violet-eyed woman who might have been a double for Raven had she not been half a foot taller than Raven. She wore what appeared to be a black leather suit with golden designs on the torso that resembled a lion's open mouth and the underarms cut out.

"And who the hell are you?" Slade asked.

"You may call me Kushier," the woman replied. "As for who I am, you'll see . . . right now. Lion Host Confrontation Armor, on!"

Suddenly, a black-and-gold aura flared around Kushier's body, twisting into the shape of a black lion and lunging in front of her. The lion aura fused with Kushier, hardening into black lion-like armor with gold accents. Her face was concealed by a black faceplate surrounded by gold blades resembling a lion's mane and ears, while the accents framing the visor resembled a lion's fangs. Interestingly enough, her hair had taken on a tinge of gold and turned as wild as a real lion's mane.

"Heavenly Lion Warrior, Kushier."

"What the hell was that?!" Blackfire asked.

Slade exhaled in dark amusement. "Come on –" He didn't even get the chance to finish that sentence, because Kushier had darted into a punch that sent him flying. After flying at least fifty meters, Slade landed unceremoniously on the pavement, only to rise up and attack Kushier at high speed. Kushier seemed prepared, judging by how she blocked Slade's attack and redirected his energy into a toss that slammed him to the ground again. Kushier jumped into the air.

"Heavenly Lion's Roar," Kushier called, shaping her energy into the form of a black lion that attacked Slade.

"This again?" Slade asked mockingly.

"You're just jealous because you don't know how to tap your own power in that way," Kushier replied. "Then again, it's not your power. It belongs to Inferno, and you are merely a vessel for his will. Isn't that right?"

Slade snarled. "Stupid. _I_ control Soul Edge! _I_ am the master of this blade! And I will _prove it!_" He raised the now-identified Soul Edge, and demonic fire circled around him, reaching out to and wrapping around the blade. "Now know my power . . . and know terror." Slade swung the blade, unleashing a phoenix-shaped wave of fiery destruction. Kushier countered Slade's attack with a lion-shaped wave of purple-black energy from her fist, the two blasts canceling each other out.

Slade was not one to give up, though, charging through the dissipating energies to impale Kushier with his sword. To his shock, Kushier caught the blade with her gauntleted hand, and jump-kicked him. She back-flipped off him and skidded backward upon landing on the ground, only to rev up another blast of lion-shaped energy. This time, Slade bounded over to her with lightning-like speed and kicked her in the stomach, sending her flying backward. Kushier twisted in midair, landing on her feet.

"Is this all you have, Slade?" Kushier challenged. "If so, I am not impressed."

"I'm not here to impress you," Slade retorted, swinging Soul Edge at her again, only for Kushier to block with the back of her hand. She darted right in Slade's face with a palm thrust directly in the demonic eye of his torso armor. Slade skidded backwards, only to stabilize himself and glare fiercely at Kushier.

"Did I make the big badass killer scared?" Kushier mocked.

"No," Slade answered. "But _you'll_ be."

"Who is she?" Violet wondered out loud.

"I don't know, but she's got Slade pissed off," Blackfire replied. "That counts as a good thing. I think."

"We should help her," Starfire said.

"I think Kushier can take care of herself," Blackfire answered.

Indeed, Kushier seemed to be having a hell of a time evading and countering Slade's increasingly frenetic attacks. "See?" she mocked. "No real control beyond what little he gives you. You're already losing it."

Slade roared furiously and swung his sword in a decapitating attack, which Kushier ducked under, rising for an uppercut that sent Slade flying high into the night sky. Despite that, Slade flipped and landed on the façade of a nearby skyscraper, standing on it as though it were flat ground. He extended his free hand in a challenging posture, silently daring Kushier to come up and face him. Kushier took him up on his challenge, running up the skyscraper façade to attack him. Slade swung his oversized sword at Kushier, only for Kushier to dart to the side and kick him.

"Heavenly Lion Warrior, eh?" Slade commented, seemingly not minding the kick. "Do heavenly warriors wear black? Or is that a privilege of the Fallen?"

Kushier snarled beneath her faceplate and went to punch him, only for Slade to catch her fist and toss her over his head. Kushier twisted and drop-kicked Slade in the back of his head, sending him plummeting off the skyscraper and riding his body down to the ground like an aerial surfboard. Just before he kissed the pavement, Kushier jumped off him and landed gracefully on that same pavement.

"Finished yet?" she asked.

"Not . . . by . . . a long shot," Slade snarled in response, rising to his feet.

"Oh, good, more fun for me," Kushier remarked with nonchalant giddiness.

* * *

At that moment, three motorcyclists charged down the street on ferocious black motorcycles. Two of the motorcyclists were male, and the third – the one in the center – was female. All three wore black motorcycle leathers, albeit accented by colors unique to each. One male had his outfit colored in both black and sniper camouflage, while the other had his outfit colored black and gunmetal gray. The female's outfit was colored black and indigo. All three had four glowing crimson eyes staring out from their faces, and all three looked as though they meant business.

"You . . ." Slade growled as the three motorcyclists formed an effective dragnet around him, the Tamaranean sisters, the thieves, and Kushier.

"Yes, us," the female confirmed with a cold smirk, tossing her purple hair.

"I assume you're here for the ring, just as Slade, or Inferno, or Nightmare, or whatever name he answers to now, is," Kushier remarked.

"How astute, Lion Warrior," the male in sniper camo-accented black corroborated with a cold smirk matching his "sister's."

"And now it's time for all of you to disappear from before us," the male in black-and-gray added, smirking as coldly as his brethren.

"_You_ disappear!" Blackfire retorted, blasting one of the demon bikers with a high-powered starbolt. Immediately, the other two moved to attack her, only for Starfire and Kushier to counter them with a starbolt and a lion-shaped energy blast respectively.

"Oh." The purple-haired female grinned savagely, baring sharpened canine teeth. "This is going to be fun."

"On that, we can agree," Slade remarked. "I will teach you what happens to my betrayers."

"I would ask how you know these people, but I do not think I wish to know," Starfire commented.

"He knows us . . . from a previous transaction," the biker in sniper camouflage volunteered the answer.

"Where is Nightwing?" the biker in gunmetal wondered.

"Busy with Raven, probably," Blackfire muttered bitterly.

All three bikers laughed. "What the fuck are you laughing about?" Violet asked.

"Raven . . . the wench that left us in this accursed state," the purple-haired biker growled. "And Nightwing, the accursed brat that gave her the strength to even think of defying us. Once we're done with you, we'll get them."

Starfire's eyes glowed with emerald wrath. "_You will not touch them!_" She unleashed a massive multidirectional starbolt attack, striking all three demon bikers, who were quick to recover despite the force of the assault.

"We will," the biker in sniper camouflage hissed, while a compartment in his bike popped open and ejected a sword, which he caught. He jumped off his bike, and in a burst of vicious speed slashed Starfire.

"Hey! Nobody hurts my sister except me, got it?!" Blackfire yelled, shooting optic blasts at the demon biker that had just assaulted Starfire. At that moment, the purple-haired biker and her gunmetal-clad "brother" attacked Blackfire simultaneously, using their speed to assault her multiple times in the space of one second. Just as they were about to strike the finishing blow . . .

"Hey, you mind backing off my girlfriend?" a mellow voice asked. "I'd miss her a lot if you killed her. And I'd be heartbroken. Very heartbroken. And you know how I deal with bastards who kill people I love? Let's just say you'll be wishing I was one of those guys who simply up and killed scumbags like you."

Slade chuckled with dark amusement. "So you finally deigned to show up. Good thing. Your girls, not to mention your thief friends, are suffering the brutalization of their lives."

"Fuck off, Slade," Nightwing snarled. "I'll deal with you later."

The three demon bikers gathered, facing Nightwing and Raven, who were both in full costume. "You . . ." Raven snarled.

"Yes, us," the purple-haired biker sneered. "Don't you have a hug for your daddy?"

"How?" Raven asked, horrified. "How?!"

"When Trigon tried to re-substantiate in this plane, it wouldn't let him cross over in his full glory," the male in sniper camouflage explained. "Therefore, he was sundered into an unholy trinity, each embodying an aspect of himself. I am his body of emotions, Wrath and Hatred."

"I am his body of thoughts, Avarice and Desire," the gunmetal-clad male added.

"I am his body of memories, Pride and Pleasure," the purple-haired biker finished. "Call me Revy."

"Nevi," the embodiment of Trigon's greed offered.

"Riven," the embodiment of Trigon's fury answered.

Just then, an awakened Red X shook his head in quiet derision. "You guys just ripped off End Fantasy 7: Dawn Spring, didn't you?"

Revy, Nevi, and Riven just glared at Red X, as though they wanted to tear him apart for daring to mock them. "You're not that tough," Revy said. "What makes you think you can mock us and live?"

"Simple. I'm Red X."

* * *

End Notes: I'm just going to end this right here. Lots of action here, but a lot of unanswered questions as well. Just where did Slade get his hands on Soul Edge? Who in God's name is Kushier? What is the purpose of that ring currently in Red X's possession? Just why did Nightwing and Raven take so long to show up? What do the "three ghosts of Trigon" have planned that would justify them arriving on Earth in such a "weakened" form? When will Neron make his grand appearance? For the answers to all these questions, and maybe a few others, wait for the next chapter and thanks for reading this one.


	4. Helix of Devils, Loaded

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 4: "Helix of Devils . . . Loaded"

Disclaimer: The Teen Titans, their comic counterparts, and the larger universes they inhabit belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers, not me. For the record, as neither licensed me to do this story, I don't make any money from it and I'm not going to charge you to read it; I like having what little money I have. My only profit is the emotional satisfaction I get from knowing you are out there reading this.

Author's note: Yeah, Trigon's back . . . yet not really. Yes, I did get it from Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children; it was so damned obvious I had to rip on myself for it. Yes, this is somewhat a crossover with the Soul series, and Soul Calibur will make an appearance now that Slade has gained possession of Soul Edge . . . or has Soul Edge gained possession of him? And what's going to happen when Nightwing has to join forces with his former team, plus a few new recruits?

* * *

"Just one thing," Red X said. "Before I start tearing you apart, answer my question."

Revy laughed. "Go ahead, human."

"How come Pride's a woman?" Red X asked.

"That's just how it worked out," Riven answered, flicking a stray strand of silver-blond hair out of his face.

"Yeah," Nevi added, tousling his crimson locks. "And what did you say about tearing us apart?"

Red X took Blaze's ring out of his belt pocket and held it up. "You'll see."

"X, don't!" Raven shouted. "You don't know what that ring will do to you!"

"I know it had Nightwing scared," Red X replied. "I know these fuckwits are after it. Let's see what's so special about it." He slipped the ring onto his middle finger and smirked menacingly beneath his mask as he felt the dark power surge through him. The eyes of his mask glowed a malicious red.

"You don't know what you're getting into, X!" Nightwing asked.

"Kid . . . you take life way too seriously," Red X retorted, his voice deeper, colder.

The three aspects of Trigon moved to attack Red X, only for Red X to suddenly vanish. "Where . . . ?" Revy snarled, only to be surprised by a blitz from Red X, who slashed her in the side with an X-sword, kicked Riven in the stomach, and jumped into a stomping kick to Nevi's chest.

"Here," Red X greeted malevolently.

"That ring . . ." Riven snarled. "If it can make a mere human strong enough to injure us . . . imagine how much more powerful it will make us."

"That ring will be mine," Slade snarled, speeding into a blitz on Red X, who merely whirled and caught Soul Edge with his gauntleted hand.

"Maybe next lifetime," Red X retorted, running Slade through with his X-sword. Slade growled in a mix of pain and rage, grabbing Red X by his wrist and attempting to run him through with Soul Edge. Red X caught Slade's oversized blade and set off a current of crimson electricity. "Doesn't that feel nice?"

"Miserable child," Slade snarled.

"Whoa . . ." Violet uttered. "He's pretty damn scary with that ring."

"He'll get scarier," Raven said. "The more he uses the ring's power, the more it'll warp his mind."

Revy glared at her "brothers." "Riven, take care of Slade and Red X. Nevi, the lion bitch and the Tamaranean whores are yours. Leave Raven and the boy to me."

Nevi and Riven nodded, and split off to their respective tasks. Revy snarled and psychically called her motorcycle to her, jumping on it as it went aerial and spinning 180 degrees as she landed. Nevi and Riven got on their motorcycles as well, and the three ghosts of Trigon launched their respective attacks. Revy sped toward Nightwing and Raven with murder in all four of her eyes, only for Nightwing to grab Raven and jump with her onto his own arriving combat cycle. Starfire and Blackfire took to the sky as Kushier charged Nevi, and Riven attacked both Slade and Red X.

Nightwing sped down the road on his motorcycle, Raven holding onto him for dear life and Revy pursuing them. As soon as Nightwing was sure he was far enough away, he made a tight U-turn and charged Revy, drawing the corrupted dragon sword. Revy drew her own sword and blocked Nightwing's attack with one of her own. The two motorcyclists spun as they pressed for the advantage.

"When I get back to my true power, you're going to be my concubine, boy," Revy hissed.

"No dice," Nightwing answered. "I'm already the concubine of three lovely ladies who don't like sharing."

Revy laughed harshly. "Good one."

Nightwing flipped the dragon's-head guard open, unleashing a wave of darkness-fused fire that sent Revy spinning and skidding. "Take the bike, Raven. I'll take Revy." He jumped off the Night-Cycle and somersaulted in midair, launching himself into a flying kick meant to knock Revy off her motorcycle. Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way, as Revy generated a force field that Nightwing bounced off. Quickly recovering, Nightwing grabbed the handlebars of his motorcycle, his hands covering Raven's, and flipped onto the backseat.

"I thought you said you'd take Revy," Raven commented.

"Change of plans," Nightwing answered with a smirk. "We'll take the bike and take her."

Raven's hands tightened on the handlebars. "Sounds good to me."

"Give it your best shot, daughter!" Revy taunted. "If you can move me even a millimeter . . ."

Raven charged Revy full speed, Nightwing holding onto her waist for his own technical safety. Revy smirked maliciously at her, watching the look of murderous fury in Raven's eyes with no small amount of amusement. Just as the Night-Cycle began to flip against Revy's force field, Raven calmly raised one hand and telekinetically speared the first ghost of Trigon. Revy clutched her bleeding shoulder in furious shock.

"You . . ."

Raven merely calmly flipped the Night-Cycle over Revy, landing with inhuman grace behind her. "Yes. Me."

Revy turned, her crimson eyes glowing even brighter with her fury. "You . . . will suffer. You and your boy."

* * *

Meanwhile, Red X had his hands full with Slade and Riven, who were attacking him and each other at the same time. In other words, it was a free-for-all with no sides except one's own and everyone an enemy to be crushed. Red X punched Slade's Soul Edge with his ring-wearing hand, while kicking Riven out of control on his motorcycle. Riven skidded, but quickly regained enough control to attack Red X and Slade again, who both jumped out of Riven's path.

Landing first, Red X slammed his palm onto the ground, channeling a wave of crimson fire through it in Riven's direction. For his part, Riven simply rode through the fire attack, only for Red X to create another X-sword and swing it at him. Riven jumped off his motorcycle, flipping and twisting in midair to land on his motorcycle behind Red X, ready to attack again. Red X jumped onto his motorcycle, which he had called to him with a homing beacon in his mask, and attacked Riven. The third ghost of Trigon blocked Red X's sword with his own, which he had ejected from a compartment in his motorcycle.

As Riven and Red X continued to clash, a giant phoenix created from hellfire flew at them. "Oh . . . fuck me sideways," Red X groaned. He jumped off his motorcycle and slashed at the phoenix-shaped wave of hellish destruction, seemingly cutting through it. Unfortunately, Slade rushed through the embers and smoke remnants of his attack to stab Red X with Soul Edge.

"Yes, _fuck you,_ Red X," Slade snarled, pulling Soul Edge out of Red X and leaving the thief to drop, presumably to drown in his own blood as well. Just as he turned to deal with Riven, he heard a demonic chuckle behind him.

"Fuck _me?_" Red X repeated. "No, no, Slade. _Fuck you._"

Suddenly, blood-formed blades flew at Slade, who blocked them with Soul Edge and charged Red X. The thief flipped into the air and came down grabbing the still-bloodied Soul Edge. Immediately, his blood erupted into crimson fire that ran up the sword and all the way to Slade's arm, burning him. "Damn you!" Slade roared, swinging Soul Edge at Red X, who casually blocked the blade with a blood-red energy barrier and followed that up with a brutal punch to his chest, sending Slade flying back.

"Now for the other one," Red X hissed, just as Riven rode at him. Red X jumped into the air, launching himself into a flying kick that knocked Riven off his motorcycle. Riven tumbled on the street, but quickly sprang to his feet, ready to fight again. At that moment, he raised his sword to block a blade blitz from Slade, who had thought to strike from above. Slade landed on his feet and swung at Riven again, only to be blocked just as before.

Red X got on his motorcycle and threw it into a high-speed riding attack on Slade and Riven, intending to take them both down while they were fighting each other. Just as he was close enough to strike, they slashed at him with their respective swords, but Red X jumped off his X-Cycle and kicked them both. Landing agilely on the ground, he looked up to glare at them both, revealing that the skull plate on his mask had become . . . disturbingly realistic, and the eyes were now glowing gold.

"The ring . . . it's mine!" Riven screamed.

"Take it off my cold, dead finger . . . bitch," Red X retorted, raising the very finger that wore the ring.

"Impudent brat," Slade snarled, attacking Red X, who blocked Slade's attack again. "Who do you think you are?"

"A lot more than you can handle, apparently," Red X answered tartly.

At that moment, Riven attacked both Slade and Red X, the former taking the brunt of the assault due to the latter shoving him into it. Red X flipped over Slade and drop-kicked Riven, only for Riven to block his kick with his sword. Red X bounced off Riven's sword, kicked off Slade, and struck Riven square in his face. "How's that, pretty boy?" he mocked.

Riven rose to his feet. "I am not Revy. My sin is not 'pride,' and vanity is part of pride." He smirked coldly. "Don't you remember? I'm Wrath."

That was all the warning Red X got before he was stabbed again, this time dangerously close to his vitals. "You know, it's a bad idea to stab me."

"Why? Because you can convert your blood into a weapon? Fool. Any demon worth their salt could do that."

Red X chuckled, the skull plate's "teeth" now sharpened into fangs. "Really?" He pushed Riven off him, but Riven took his sword with him, pulling it brutally out of Red X, who growled angrily. "If you don't take this so seriously . . ." He dipped his fingers into his wound and the blood on his hand ignited into unholy crimson flame. "Then you shouldn't have a problem blocking it."

"Come with it, then."

* * *

Meanwhile, Starfire, Blackfire, and Kushier were fighting Nevi, who was effortlessly blocking their best attacks. When Starfire and Blackfire tried a dual starbolt barrage, Nevi merely stood there and psychically deflected all of the blasts. When Kushier summoned her lion power to attack him, Nevi simply calmly sliced the lion-shaped energy attack to ribbons.

"Is this all you can do against me?" he asked boredly.

Kushier's answer was to run at him as he charged her on his motorcycle. She leaped into the air and somersaulted into a flying kick that would have knocked Nevi off his motorcycle had he not protected himself with a telekinetic force field. Kushier bounced off the force field, kicked off Starfire and Blackfire's hands, and soared like a bullet at Nevi, who had to actually _dodge_ this time around. Kushier landed on the ground behind him and whirled, charging Nevi as Starfire and Blackfire went on the attack.

Just as Nevi thought he'd had all he could handle with the Tamaranean sisters, Kushier kicked him while glowing an ominous dark purple. Nevi fell to the ground and rolled to his feet, looking up at Kushier with a dark smirk. "There's always room for someone like you as my concubine," he remarked. "Your strength, added to mine . . . will create unstoppable heirs once I return to my true state."

"I have no interest in siring any bastard of yours," Kushier snarled, channeling the ominous aura into her hands, which sprouted talons on each finger. She lunged at Nevi, intending to slice him to ribbons with her talons. Unfortunately, Nevi's reflexes proved to be swifter than she'd anticipated, as he grabbed her wrists and forced her arms apart. Kicking her in the stomach, he sent her flying backward into the arms of Starfire and Blackfire.

"Are you all right?" Starfire inquired.

"I'll be fine," Kushier answered. "Thank you for your concern."

"I say we quit holding back and just go to town on the bastard!" Blackfire declared.

"This is one of those occasions where I would have to agree with you, sister," Starfire assented.

"We all attack him, from all directions," Kushier suggested. "Hit him hard, hit him fast, and keep hitting him until he goes down."

"Then that is what we will do," Starfire agreed.

Nevi smirked. "Give it your best shot."

Starfire, Blackfire, and Kushier went on the attack, this time in a triangular pattern. Nevi was all over the place, though, blocking their attacks almost simultaneously. The three women didn't give up, though, pouring on the hits as though it would be the last thing any of them ever did. All of them knew, however, that if they didn't stop Nevi and his "siblings," it very well might be the last thing they ever did. Therefore, they had to keep hitting him, hard enough and fast enough that he started slowing down, weakening, and then not stop until he was put down.

Nevi moved and fought like a demon, practically dancing between the attacks of the Tamaranean sisters and the fallen angel. Not that it stopped them, of course; Kushier merely let out a leonine roar and lunged at Nevi, a spectral lion surrounding her. Nevi blocked her assault, only for Starfire and Blackfire to leap off Kushier's shoulders and dual-kick Nevi in the chest. Kushier followed up on their assault by channeling the spectral lion into a blast from her foremost arm, seemingly incinerating Nevi.

To the utter irritation of all three women, Nevi just stormed out of the inferno created by the spectral lion's attack, murder in all four of his eyes. "My turn."

Five seconds later, Starfire, Blackfire, and Kushier had all fallen to the ground, with maybe a second in between each one. "How . . . ?" Starfire uttered.

"He's like the fucking Flash," Blackfire growled.

"Flash this," Kushier snarled and went into a high-speed attack on Nevi, who merely sped up to match her. The only way Starfire and Blackfire knew the two combatants were still there was the shockwaves generated by their blows, that and the flashes of black, gold, red, and purple light. Kushier was the first to become visible again, skidding backward on the heels of her feet and palm. Nevi became visible next, attacking Kushier from behind, only for Kushier to catch his ankle and use it to flip upward into a kick to his head.

Nevi tilted his head to avoid Kushier's kick and moved to kick her with his free foot, only to be blocked by Kushier's other foot. In a display of contortionist-style acrobatics that both Tamaranean sisters doubted even _Nightwing_ could do, Kushier twisted into a kick to Nevi's chest, knocking him flat on his back. Kushier bounced off him like he was a trampoline and somersaulted in midair, landing beside Starfire and Blackfire.

* * *

Revy charged Raven and Nightwing, who sped toward her in what seemed like a game of cosmic chicken. Revy and Raven glared at each other, nothing but hatred in their respective sets of eyes. As their motorcycles neared the moment of not-so-fatal-but-still-probably-painful impact, Revy jumped off hers first, throwing herself into a flying kick meant to take Raven out. Unfortunately for her, Nightwing performed a handstand on Raven's shoulders, using it as leverage to intercept Revy's flying kick with his own.

As it turned out, they kicked each other, but Revy hooked her leg around Nightwing's. She used her grip as leverage to get in close for a kick with her other leg, which Nightwing grabbed. He got in close for a punch, only for her to block it with her open palm and close her hand around his fist. She began squeezing his fist, dark electricity surging from her hand and running up his arm. Nightwing gritted his teeth, refusing to scream despite Rij'ze's roars of pain tearing his mind apart. Black fire surged from Nightwing's arm in response to Revy's black lightning, the two forces competing against each other.

"This is actually a lot more pleasant than I anticipated," Revy hissed. "Actually fighting you, testing my might against yours . . . proving your power insignificant compared to mine. I could cream right now."

"Are you _trying_ to freak me out?!" Nightwing asked.

_Shit! That's wrong, even by my generous standards,_ Rij'ze remarked, snapped out of his pain by sheer disgust.

_I thought demons got a kick out of violence,_ Nightwing commented.

_Yeah, but we look down on the ones that get sexual gratification out of it,_ Rij'ze clarified. _That's just fucking gross and anybody who orgasms from killing a motherfucker is liable to do just about anything. You can't trust people like that; they'd kill _you_ if they thought they'd bust a nut from it._

_You've . . . taken up quite a bit of American slang,_ Nightwing observed.

_I like your languages. You have such colorful ways of describing things. It makes me sing! And speaking of singing . . . "Now go to sleep! Die, motherfucker, die! Boom; time's up, bitch, close your eyes!"_

_If that's your idea of a pep talk . . ._

_It is. Now go forth and kick her skanky ass._

_I'm not sure "skanky" is the right word, but whatever you say._

Black fire flared around Nightwing in the shape of a dragon, a spectral entity that lunged at Revy, who attempted to block it with her free hand. The fiery specter pushed against Revy's hand, more insistently and more ferociously until it burned her hand. She still attempted to block it, not letting the pain stop her, but eventually the attack proved too much for her to block with one hand. Thus, she let go of Nightwing's fist to use both hands in blocking the spectral dragon's attack. Still, the specter poured on the heat, the power, and the fury until Revy was overcome and Nightwing managed to flip away from her.

"Lesson Number One . . ." he said. "_Don't fuck with the people I love._"

In a burst of darkness-marked speed, Nightwing moved behind Revy, who whirled just in time to be slashed in the forearm by Nightwing's sword. Revy pulled her forearm back and charged up a blast of dark lightning that she fired at Nightwing, who leaped into the air to evade. Twisting in that same air, Nightwing came down with a flying kick, which Revy blocked with her uninjured forearm. Nightwing performed an aerial cartwheel over her head, twisted on his landing foot, and kicked Revy in the stomach with his other foot.

"Not bad, Nightwing," Revy commented. "You are indeed a worthy suitor for my daughter."

"Thanks for the flattery, but I don't need your approval to date Raven," Nightwing retorted, channeling the shadow flames inside him into a spectral dragon that attacked Revy. This time, Revy sliced it apart and charged through its remnants to grab Nightwing by the throat, slamming him to the ground.

"Such audacity," Revy hissed. "I'm going to enjoy breaking you of it."

Another spear of psychic blackness pierced Revy, this time in her previously uninjured shoulder, knocking her off Nightwing. "Lesson Number Two . . ." Raven hissed, walking toward Revy with her hood off, her eyes glowing an ominous white. "_Don't fuck with the man I love._" A blast of telekinetic force knocked Revy to the ground, although the first ghost of Trigon was quick to recover.

Revy slammed her palm on the ground, a wave of dark lightning running through the ground at Raven. For her part, Raven simply levitated above it and glided to her in a sweeping forward kick, flipping backward and gliding to Nightwing's side. "Are you all right?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'll be ok," Nightwing replied.

* * *

At that moment, Red X was still taking on Riven and Slade, who were fighting each other as well. Red X had managed to wound Riven with the blood fire, but Slade had damned near cut his arm off with Soul Edge. That had healed, though, but not quite as quickly as Red X would have liked; still quicker than without the ring, though, which was the only reason he was keeping it on. That, and the power was kind of . . . he hated to say it . . . addictive. Huh, that was what cold turkey was for, he supposed.

In the meantime, Red X swiped the air with his hand and an arc of crimson lightning-edged flame slammed into Slade, who attempted to block it with Soul Edge. Despite that, the flame arc still pushed him back a considerable distance, only for Riven to kick him in the stomach so fast that he almost missed it. Red X grabbed Riven's ankle and used it as leverage to throw him into Slade, then jumped into the air for a twisting flying kick to them both. Red X flipped backward, only for Slade to jump over Riven and slash him as soon as they were facing.

"Do you really think you can beat me?" Slade asked.

"Considering you've got someone else looking to kick your ass and mine for what I've got on my finger, it's not exactly a good idea for us to be beating each other up while that motherfucker's trying to kill us," Red X answered. "So how about we bury the hatchet for now, take down our mutual enemy, and kill each other after that?"

"It sounds good . . . but I work better alone," Slade declined. "Thanks for the offer, kid."

"Be that way," Red X sneered. "It was your last chance to live, though." He dipped his fingers into his latest wound and threw the blood droplets at Slade as burning crimson needles. Slade snarled as he blocked the needles, only for Riven to jump above him, stomp on his head, and bounce off to kick Red X in his wounded side. Red X was not in so much pain, though, that he couldn't just grab Riven's ankle and throw him to the ground. With a bloodcurdling howl of rage, an aura of mixed crimson lightning and flame emanated from him, striking both Riven and Slade.

Riven snarled. "Nevi, Revy, forget about the others! Get Red X! The longer he has that ring, the stronger he becomes! If we don't kill him and take it for ourselves, he'll kill us!"

Nevi and Revy immediately got on their motorcycles and charged toward Red X, who jumped into the air and kicked them both. Revy and Nevi skidded out of control on their bikes, only to regain their composure just as Red X landed on his own bike, revving it up malevolently. The teeth of his mask parted, revealing a long tongue that sadistically licked those teeth.

"Let's do this," he growled.

Riven had gotten on his bike as well, looking to Nevi and Revy. "Take him."

Red X rode toward them, while the three ghosts of Trigon rode toward him. As he rode, he extended another X-sword and dragged it along the ground for momentum. The three ghosts of Trigon had their swords out as well, readying themselves to kill him. It would be a single stroke battle, the survivor being the effective victor. With mighty yells and swings of their swords, the four riders slashed each other as they passed.

They stopped, panting and gasping for breath as they struggled to hold on. Red X chanced a look at the three ghosts of Trigon, and none of them seemed to be in that good a shape. He smirked in cold satisfaction beneath his mutating mask, only to sharply inhale from a sudden pain. His gauntleted hand, the fingers twisted into claws, clutched his wound, which was leaking . . . almost luminescent crimson lifeblood. He fell off his motorcycle, his not-yet-healed wounds having finally taken their toll on him.

"We win," Revy snarled.

"Now to claim our prize," Nevi hissed, getting off his motorcycle and stalking toward Red X.

To his surprise, a lion-shaped energy attack mauled him, Revy, and Riven, the last of whom barely managed to fend it off. "You're not getting that ring," Kushier declared.

Nightwing had sped to Red X's side, alongside Blackfire and Raven, while Starfire stood by Kushier. "We've got to get that ring off him."

"If it's not too late," Raven added.

"He doesn't look so good," Blackfire remarked.

Raven kneeled before Red X. "I'm going to try to get that ring off." She reached out and took Red X's ring hand, grabbing the finger that wore the ring and pulling. When she did, red electricity sparked from the ring, trying to force her off. She clenched her jaw and concentrated a shadowy aura around her hand, using it as a shielding glove while she tried to pull the ring off Red X's hand. Her eyes shined a bright, gold-edged white as she pulled even harder, slipping the shadowy aura between Red X's finger and the ring, which sparked even brighter and harsher, resisting Raven's efforts to separate it from Red X.

As Raven fought to free Red X from the ring's physical and psychic grip, Nightwing and Blackfire guarded her, ready to protect her if the three ghosts of Trigon got past Starfire and Kushier. Speaking of the two women, they were fiercely battling those ghosts of Trigon, doing their utmost to keep them away from Raven and Red X. Fortunately for Starfire and Kushier, the three ghosts of Trigon were not at full strength, having been worn out by their earlier battles. Unfortunately for Starfire and Kushier, neither woman was quite at full strength themselves.

"Wait a second," Nightwing said.

"What is it, Night?" Blackfire asked.

"Where's Slade?"

"You're worried about Slade at a time like this?"

"Trigon's incarnations aren't the only ones we need to worry about, Blackfire." Nightwing inhaled through his nose and then whirled, sending an arc of fiery black devastation through the air to strike down Slade, who used Soul Edge to block.

"Always observant, aren't you, Nightwing?" Slade mocked.

"I'm not letting you near them, Slade!" Nightwing snarled. He looked at Blackfire. "Keep an eye on Raven and X. Slade's mine."

* * *

Both black-armored warriors clashed, attacking each other at high speeds. Slade was the larger and stronger of the two, but Nightwing was the lighter and faster. Of course, that would have only made a difference if they were restricted to the normal laws of physical reality. Slade, being the wielder of a demonic sword and the powers inherent to it, was not beholden to those laws, and Nightwing – being the living prison of one of the most terrible forces of destruction in the cosmos – was not so beholden to those laws, either.

As Nightwing and Slade fought, Blackfire looked at Raven, who was straining to get the ring off Red X, and then looked back at the two combatants with worry. Nightwing's obsession with Slade, as persistent as it was despite all efforts to break it, was going to be the death of him one of these days. He might have been host to a terrible force of chaos and destruction, he might have been one of the fiercest warriors she'd ever met, but he was still human at heart, with all the frailties that implied.

She smiled to herself. Humans might have been a frail bunch, but they were also pretty damned strong when the time came for it. Nightwing was a perfect example of that, which might have been why she fell in love with him in the first place . . . besides the opportunity to prove herself better than sweet little Starfire at something. She looked back at Raven and placed a hand on her glowing-black hand. "How about a hand with that, sweetie?"

Raven merely gave a curt nod of acknowledgement, too absorbed in her efforts to truly pay Blackfire any mind. She did channel the ultraviolet radiation Blackfire constantly absorbed into her own magic, which at first merely made the ring spark with even more crimson electricity. Gritting her teeth, Raven yanked fiercely on the ring, Blackfire's strength supporting her, and the ring flew off Red X's finger.

Sensing the ring was free of its most recent wearer, Slade immediately made a break for it, only to be kicked all the way to the farthest end of the street by a platform-heeled boot. Nightwing sped in front of Slade's attacker, his eyes widening in horror (and maybe fear) when he saw who it was. "You . . ."

"Me," Videl confirmed with an evil smirk, picking up the ring. "This belongs to my Master. She'll be very happy to know I've retrieved it for her. She might actually reward me."

"You're not going to get away with that ring," Nightwing declared.

"You're so beautiful when you're trying to be tough," Videl sneered.

Blackfire rose to her feet. "Is this the bitch that fucked you up so bad, Night?"

"Yeah, that's her," Nightwing confirmed.

Blackfire's eyes glowed the most malevolent pinkish-violet Nightwing had ever seen. She cracked her knuckles with a smirk of malicious glee. "You're going down, bitch."

"I'd like to see you try," Videl mocked.

* * *

End Notes: Yeah, I'm ending it here. The "three ghosts of Trigon" were inspired both by the storyline running through Judd Winick's Titans relaunch and by Sephiroth's method of return or reincarnation in Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children. If you're wondering about all the bike fights going on in this chapter, those also came from Advent Children; they were the best parts of the movie. Kushier's combat armor was inspired by main antagonist Rio's Black Lion mode from Beast-Fist Squadron Gekiranger; hell, you could almost say that she's sort of a distaff version of him, down to the whole "spectral lion" attack. As Slade's presence and newfound power will attest to, this does include elements from Soulcalibur, but only the swords will appear, not canonical characters from the series. Whether you enjoyed this story or not, I'd appreciate some reviews to let me know what you think, and I'm grateful you read it at all.


	5. Desecration Is My Smile

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 5: "Desecration Is My Smile"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and the larger universe its comic counterpart inhabits belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers. As I have nothing to do with either except in my role as a consumer of their products, it is safe to assume that I lack actual ownership of the properties controlled by DC Comics and Warner Brothers. Furthermore, I am not being financially or otherwise compensated for this story by anybody; I do this purely for the hell of it.

Author's note: Sorry I've been away for so long. Needed some time to recharge, work on other projects. But after talking with VFSNAKE, I am fired up and ready to go with this. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome – yes, welcome – to some unholy ass-kicking. On one side, there's Nightwing, mortal incarnation of the Shadowlord Dragon Rij'ze; Starfire and Blackfire, warrior princesses of Tamaran; Raven, "Hell's messiah"; Kushier, a warrior angel formerly of Heaven's Lion Host. On the other side, there is Videl, servant of the demon lord Blaze. Then there's Slade, wielder and servant of the Soul Edge and on nobody's side except his own.

Ready? Fight!

* * *

"Rematch time, lover boy," Videl sneered, speeding into an attack on Nightwing. This time, Nightwing blocked her fist with his open palm and then closed his hand around her fist.

"Not bad," Nightwing remarked calmly. "You've lost none of your bite. That's good news."

Videl's trapped fist began to emanate hellish lightning, but Nightwing simply gripped her fist tighter, his own hand flashing black lightning. "And you seem to have gotten some bite. I'm going to take my time with you."

"You must be getting soft, Nightwing, to have let that girl get the better of you," Slade drawled mockingly.

"Shut up, Slade," Nightwing retorted. "I'll deal with you soon enough."

"No. You'll deal with me now." Slade lunged at Nightwing, swinging Soul Edge with killing intent behind it. Nightwing extended his other hand to catch Soul Edge's blade, and gritted his teeth to avoid crying out. The evil energy emanating from that sword was enormous, oppressive, crushing by virtue of its sheer mass and density. It took every last bit of strength Nightwing wasn't concentrating into holding back Videl to hold back Soul Edge.

"Where'd you get this power?"

"That's for me to know and for you to die from."

"I have never seen Earth swords of that size," Starfire uttered.

"It's called Soul Edge," Raven replied, her calm demeanor belying the terror in her heart from the sword's aura. "The legends speak of it as a weapon corrupted by all the blood that it has drawn, a weapon that drives its wielders to wanton violence in search of the blood that it craves."

Videl glared at Slade. "Back off, old man. Nightwing belongs to me."

"I think not, you impudent little girl," Slade answered. "My claim on Nightwing existed long before you ever met him."

"Why, Slade, you sound almost like a jealous lover," Nightwing quipped, affecting an ease he didn't really feel.

"I'm very territorial when it comes to my enemies," Slade responded. "I'm the only one who's allowed to kill you. Just like you're the only one who's allowed to kill me."

"You really do love me," Nightwing teased darkly.

"Joke all you want, Nightwing," Slade hissed. "I know you're barely standing."

"Do you want me on my knees or something? Because I only get on my knees for three people, and none of them happen to be you."

Just then, the evil energy from Soul Edge became even more crushing. While Nightwing's knees did wobble from the strain of keeping him standing, Nightwing did not fall. "Your stamina has gotten very impressive. No wonder your lovers enjoy you so."

Videl got fed up and shot a bolt of hellish lightning at Slade, who deflected it one-handedly. "I'm the one who's going to be enjoying him from now on. So get lost, old man."

"I think not," Slade retorted.

"Why don't you both . . . back off?" Nightwing asked, generating blasts of darkness flame from both hands that knocked Videl and Slade back. Videl flipped backward and landed skidding on the balls of her feet. Slade stopped his unwilling flight with his sword and landed on his feet. Nightwing stood in a combat-ready stance, both arms outstretched to beckon his opponents. "Now that we have some space . . . I think it's time we rethought our relationship."

Videl lunged at Nightwing again, but Nightwing jumped into the air, somersaulting over her head and kicking her between her shoulder blades. Nightwing landed and spun on his hands into another kick, this time to her stomach, and sprang off his hands to kick her in the chest. Nightwing twisted in midair and threw a dragon-shaped inferno at Slade, who sliced through it with Soul Edge only for Nightwing's foot to impact against the demon sword. Nightwing spun on the sword's edge and kicked Slade in his armored head with his free foot before springing off him.

"How's X doing?" Violet asked, looking at the black-clad thief's unconscious frame.

"He'll live," Raven replied. "But absorbing all that damage . . ."

"What do you care, anyway?" Blackfire asked teasingly. "I thought you hated him."

"Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I want him dead," Violet answered sharply.

"Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Blackfire teased.

"Shut up, Blackfire," Violet snapped.

Blackfire just chortled merrily, before returning her attention to the fight between Nightwing, Videl, and Slade. "Kick their asses!"

Nightwing turned his head and smirked. "Don't need to." He unclenched his fist, revealing Blaze's ring.

Videl glared. "Give that back to me. Now."

"Finders keepers, losers weepers," Nightwing answered.

"On that virtue, you'll be the one weeping," Slade vowed, lunging at Nightwing with Soul Edge extended. Nightwing merely threw the ring at Raven, who caught it with her telekinesis. At that moment, Videl charged Raven with the intention of killing her and taking the ring from her corpse. Starfire and Blackfire blocked Videl's attack together with a dual starbolt defense. Videl was burned by the starbolts, but not necessarily deterred.

"That ring belongs to my mistress," Videl hissed. "You have no right to it."

"Even if it does, we're not letting you have it," Raven said. "Your mistress would destroy the world with that ring. We're not letting that happen."

Videl attacked again, this time repelled by Kushier's kick. The lion-armored woman darted behind Videl and kicked her in the back, sending her flying toward Starfire and Blackfire. This time, Videl landed and spun on one hand, using the other to shoot hellish lightning at Starfire and Blackfire. Raven threw up a telekinetic force field to protect the Tamaranean sisters from the lightning bolt. When Videl twisted onto her feet, Kushier attacked her again, only to be blocked this time by Videl's hand. A bolt of hellish lightning repelled Kushier into Raven's telekinetic barrier, shattering it.

"Kushier!" Starfire exclaimed.

Blackfire's response was more direct; she channeled her starbolt energy into her eyes and shot it at Videl, who knocked it aside – despite burning her hand. Blackfire's answer to that was to launch herself into a flying kick that Videl blocked with her forearms, but not without sustaining bruising. Blackfire flipped into the air and came down with a brutal punch that succeeded in drawing blood . . . and in making Videl angry.

"You shouldn't have made me take you seriously," Videl intoned gravely.

"Oh? You mean you weren't before? I'm insulted," Blackfire answered.

A rush of wind made Blackfire turn, just in time for a brutal punch to the jaw that sent her flying down the street. Videl pressed her advantage, speeding ahead of Blackfire's unwilling flight and kicking her into the sky. The sudden change of trajectory nearly broke her neck, but Blackfire was a lot stronger and tougher than many gave her credit for. Alas, it wasn't to much avail, as Videl flew ahead of Blackfire and slammed her elbow into Blackfire's stomach, knocking her to the ground.

"Blackfire!" Starfire yelled, her eyes and fists radiantly green with her rage.

As Starfire moved to attack Videl, Nightwing had taken notice of Blackfire's injury at the demonic warrior's hands. Just as he finally remembered that he was still fighting Slade, Slade had slashed him with a hellfire-charged Soul Edge, the blade cutting through his armor. Nightwing hissed in a mixture of pain and rage. "I don't have time to mess around with you now, Slade."

"Your lover? She can take care of herself," Slade answered coolly.

Nightwing drew his sword, channeling the Shadowlord power into the blade and swinging it at Slade, who blocked it with Soul Edge. The two infernal powers clashed against each other, evinced by the flaring auras of hellish red flame and chthonic black flame surrounding Slade and Nightwing respectively. With an inhuman scream, Slade pushed furiously against Nightwing, ramming the younger man into a nearby skyscraper façade.

_

* * *

_

You gonna take that from him?

Rij'ze asked coldly.

_Hell, no,_ Nightwing snarled.

_Then stop holding back. Show Slade our power._

The chthonic black flame flared an unholy dark violet as Nightwing cut through Slade's armor, right into the "eye" that took up much of his torso. Slade let out an enraged cry as he staggered back, steeling himself to attack Nightwing again, but Nightwing beat him to the punch and slashed him again. This time, Slade grabbed Nightwing's blade and stabbed him with a hellfire-charged Soul Edge. Nightwing ripped his sword out of Slade's hand and stabbed the older man through the "eye" that took up the center of his chest with it.

"_**Let's see,**_" Nightwing snarled, his tone increasingly demonic. "_**We're channeling our powers into our swords to kill each other better. You wanna see who can last longer before getting incinerated from the inside out?**_"

Slade glared at Nightwing, despite the fact that the Shadowlord powers were ripping through his body from the inside out, even with his regenerative abilities factored in. He did take satisfaction, though, in that the infernal powers of Soul Edge – combined with those of Phoenix Kaiser – were tearing through his opponent as well. With luck, they would die together and their souls would be plunged into the Pit to do combat for eternity.

Unfortunately for him, Nightwing had other plans; he ripped his sword out of Slade and pulled himself free of Soul Edge. "We're . . . not done yet," Slade hissed.

"_**I'll deal with you another time,**_" Nightwing answered. "_**Right now, someone a lot more important to me than you is in jeopardy. And I am not going to let that person come to harm without the one who inflicted that harm answering to me for it.**_" A blast of chthonic black flame halted Slade's attempts to continue their fight, allowing Nightwing to dart to Blackfire's side.

"I'm all right, Nightwing," Blackfire said. She looked more closely at Nightwing. "But leave Slade to me. Right now, baby sis needs you by her side to kick that skank's ass up there."

Nightwing chuckled. "_**Sure, my love.**_"

As Blackfire moved to attack the wounded Slade, Nightwing ran up the closest skyscraper façade and leaped off upon reaching its edge, somersaulting backward and twisting into a flying kick that Starfire turned into a double kick. The combined force of their blows sent Videl plummeting toward the ground, while Nightwing descended gracefully to grind his Shadowlord-charged blade against her bared flank. Videl twisted to kick Nightwing, but Nightwing blocked her attack and twisted to slam her into the ground.

"_**How does getting your ass kicked feel? Bet it stings.**_"

Videl rose to her feet, her eyes a lurid, enraged crimson. "You . . ."

"_**Yeah, yeah. I've heard it before.**_" At that moment, Starfire landed beside Nightwing, who smiled at her. "_**You wanna do the honors?**_"

"It would be my pleasure, Nightwing," Starfire answered with a smirk.

Having lost her patience, Videl charged Nightwing and Starfire, the latter catching her outstretched fist with her hand and squeezing. Videl snarled and threw a bolt of hellish lightning at Starfire with her free hand, only for Starfire to dodge with a careful twist of her body. The redheaded warrior then punched Videl in the stomach with a starbolt-charged fist, sending Blaze's servant warrior flying.

Nightwing dashed ahead of Starfire and behind Videl, twisting to kick her in the back and propel her back to Starfire, who delivered a vicious uppercut to her chin that propelled Videl upward. Nightwing jumped up into the air and somersaulted above Videl before coming down with a drop-kick that knocked Videl toward the ground. At the moment she was about to impact the ground, Starfire kicked Videl, changing her trajectory to a more horizontal flight that ultimately sent her hitting the ground.

Videl rose to her feet, her otherwise beautiful face twisted into a mask of rage. Without warning, she rushed Starfire, punching her hundreds of times in the space of mere seconds. Starfire blocked as many of Videl's punches as she could, but the speed and fury with which Videl struck made it nearly impossible to block them all. Indeed, it turned out to be impossible, as a lucky shot slipped past Starfire's defenses and knocked her to the ground. Before Starfire could get up, Videl grabbed her by her luxurious red hair and slammed her head into the ground before doing a cartwheel while still holding her head.

"_**Let her go,**_" Nightwing snarled.

"How about . . . fuck you?" Videl retorted, lifting Starfire by her hair.

"_**No. Fuck **_**you,**" Nightwing answered, an aura of chthonic black flame surrounding him and taking the shape of a dragon.

"You really think you can take me out and protect your girl at the same time?" Videl taunted.

Nightwing's voice came from behind her this time. "_**Yes.**_" There was only a millisecond between his word and his action, the action being his sword through Videl's stomach, which forced Videl to drop Starfire out of sheer shock. Before Starfire hit the ground, Nightwing caught her while withdrawing his sword from its sheath in Videl's stomach. The masked warrior turned to look at his purple-clad lover. "_**Are you all right?**_"

". . . Yes," Starfire replied.

Nightwing helped Starfire to her feet, turning to his bloodied blade as soon as she was securely standing. "_**Do you want more?**_"

_Always, my wielder,_ the sword's harsh yet feminine sentience replied.

"_**Then I'll give you more,**_" Nightwing promised.

"Who is he talking to?" Violet asked Raven.

"He's talking to the sword," Raven replied.

"He's gone crazy, hasn't he?" Violet groaned.

"No, it's slightly worse than that," Raven amended. "That sword used to be an angelic weapon, but an excessive amount of the energy of the Shadowlord Dragon that Nightwing's body imprisons leaked out during one fight and tainted the sword. Now the sword has its own will . . . and it's a Vampire Sword."

"Vampire Sword," Kushier repeated. "I never thought I would see one of those things again."

"Vampire Sword?" Violet repeated. "Like it drinks blood? Literally?"

"Yes," Raven and Kushier replied at the same time.

As this conversation was happening, Blackfire and Slade battled viciously. "You could have ruled by my side, Blackfire," Slade taunted. "What do you gain from being Nightwing's concubine?"

Blackfire smirked. "Lots of good head." She then blasted Slade with an optic starbolt, which Slade was barely able to deflect.

"That's it?" Slade asked mockingly. "That's all it takes to get on your good side?"

"What can I say? Every girl's a sucker for a man who knows how to use his mouth," Blackfire answered nonchalantly, just before punching him in his helmeted face and following up with a jump kick that knocked Slade to the ground.

Slade rose to his feet, rage visible in the glowing pits that were his eyes. He slashed at Blackfire with Soul Edge, only for Blackfire to catch it with a starbolt-charged hand and wrench it out of his hands. The dark-haired warrior princess twirled Soul Edge and held it in a battle pose, sending a taunting smirk Slade's way. Slade let out an angry roar in response and charged Blackfire to retrieve the sword. Blackfire swung Soul Edge at him, and Slade caught the blade on his shoulder.

"Hmph. It doesn't work for you after all." With a blast of hellfire, Slade took Soul Edge back from Blackfire. He proceeded to dart behind Blackfire and slash her just as she twisted around to try to face him. Blackfire landed on her feet, skidding backward to fully regain her ground, only for Slade to emerge behind her and swing Soul Edge at her again. This time, Blackfire blocked Soul Edge with her armored forearm and twisted to kick Slade in his wounded side.

At that moment, a spectral black lion mauled Slade, only for Slade to slice it apart with Soul Edge. "Lion Warrior!"

Kushier strode toward Slade, utterly unhurried and completely calm. "Yes. That I am."

Slade snarled and threw a blast of hellfire at Kushier, only for Kushier to calmly walk through it. She didn't walk through it entirely unscathed or unharmed, but it did not seem to slow her down in the slightest. Slade charged Kushier, intending to cut her down, but Kushier caught Soul Edge with her gauntleted hand and kicked Slade in his wounded chest.

"What are you?" he asked.

"Kushier of the Lion Host of Heaven," Kushier replied. "With a heart as valiant and true as the lion, with strength as fearsome as the lion, and with a beauty as terrible to behold as the lion."

Slade growled in irritation and rage and charged Kushier, only for Kushier to kick him again. As Slade staggered back, Kushier stalked toward him, pursuing him with vicious roundhouse kicks that ultimately brought Soul Edge's wielder and slave low. Kushier was about to end the fight with a stomp to Slade's head, only for Slade to catch her ankle and throw her into the air with all his remaining might. Kushier took it rather calmly, somersaulting while in the air and coming back down for a kick that Slade blocked with Soul Edge, causing Kushier to bounce off and skid backward upon landing.

By that point, Slade had gotten up, darted behind her, and swung Soul Edge at her, but Kushier blocked his blade with her gauntleted forearm before firing a blast of dark energy that sent him flying. However, Slade back-flipped and halted his descent with Soul Edge, grinding it down the skyscraper façade he'd slammed it into as he dropped. With hellfire charging the blade, Slade sped at Kushier and slashed her, only for Kushier to twist onto her feet and spin into a brutal kick.

"You really think you're so tough, angel?" Slade taunted.

"No. You're just weak," Kushier answered.

The Soul Edge glowed with an infernal power, more so than Slade had ever been willing to put into it before. "That's not good . . ." Blackfire uttered.

"You're right, Blackfire," Slade answered casually. "It isn't . . . for you."

With a single swing of his sword, a massive wave of infernal energy flew at Blackfire and Kushier, the latter of whom raised her hands to block it. Despite her best efforts, the hellfire wave pushed unrelentingly against her, to the point that Blackfire raised her starbolt-charged hands to block it as well. Behind them, Raven strengthened the telekinetic force field separating her, Red X, and Violet from the fight. Unfortunately, Blackfire's and Kushier's efforts proved to be for naught, as the hellfire wave bowled them over and crashed into Raven's force field.

* * *

Just as the force field was about to give way, Raven, Red X, and Violet were no longer behind it or about to face the hellfire wave. As became clear when the explosion from the two colliding forces faded away, Nightwing and Starfire had spirited them to safety. Now, the two lovers were glaring at Slade with murder in their eyes, and Slade was glaring back at them.

"_**Now . . . Regina Roz Aprins, do you want to taste his blood?**_" Nightwing asked cruelly.

The Vampire Sword, also known as Regina Roz Aprins, the Romanian for Queen Crimson, answered with a pulse of unholy energy. "I believe that is a 'yes,' lover," Starfire supplied.

Nightwing smirked. "_**I know. And she will taste his blood before this night is through.**_"

"I don't think so," Slade answered. "I have what I came for." He held up Blaze's ring.

"You will return that ring _now!_" the wounded, but still refusing to die, Videl screamed, flying at Slade with the intent of taking the ring from his brutalized corpse. Slade's answer was to casually punt her aside, just in time for Nightwing and Starfire to come at him, Vampire Sword and starbolts ready. Unfortunately for them, Slade viciously deflected both of their attacks and by the time they had gotten back on their feet, he was gone.

Nightwing let out a furious roar. "_**COWARD! Get back here and FACE ME!**_"

"Nightwing, _stop!_" Starfire exclaimed, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and pressing herself close to him. "Control yourself!"

Nightwing's breath came in ragged, rough pants, indicating his struggle to reassert his consciousness over Rij'ze's bloodlust. The hand that was wrapped around the hilt of the Vampire Sword tightened so much around it that if not for the gauntlet, white knuckles would be visible. Slowly, those panting, ragged breaths softened and became more relaxed. Starfire chanced a look at his sword and noticed that it was no longer bloodstained.

"Kory . . ." he murmured, his voice back to normal.

"Dick . . ." Starfire whispered.

"Thanks. I needed that." He wrapped his free arm around her waist, holding her close.

"Awww, how sweet," Videl mocked, rising to her feet despite her wounds.

Nightwing pointed the Vampire Sword at her, as Starfire pointed her starbolt-charged hand at the demonic warrior. "You sure you wanna test our patience? Especially with how beaten-up you are?" the masked warrior taunted.

"You're just as beaten-up as I am," Videl answered. "You got run through with a hellfire-augmented sword. Even you're probably having a hard time healing from that."

At that moment, Blackfire and Kushier moved to stand beside Starfire and Nightwing. "Four of us and one of you," Blackfire remarked. "You sure you wanna test those odds?"

"Make that five," Raven interjected, emerging from a shadow doorway.

Videl glared at the four women and Nightwing. "Bring it on, bitches. I'll have you crying for your daddies by the time I'm through with you."

Nightwing smiled ironically. "A number of us don't have daddies anymore." His smile faded into an expression somewhere between bitter sadness and cold rage. "Why cry for something that'll never be?"

"You're an idiot if you think you can take us all on in your condition and win," Raven stated.

Videl's hands sparked with hellish lightning, signaling that she didn't give a damn what Raven said about her condition; she would wipe the floor with them, anyway. Nightwing groaned to himself, thinking, _Some people are just too stubborn to reason with._

"Fine, do it," Blackfire taunted. "You think you're so tough, come on. Throw your life away."

Videl charged Blackfire, only to be soundly impaled by Nightwing's Vampire Sword. She choked in horror when she realized that . . . _the sword was drinking her blood!_ "It seems Regina will get what she wants, after all," Nightwing commented with a false lightness to his tone. He looked at Videl with a positively demonic expression. "_**Thank you for offering yourself so graciously.**_"

* * *

Nightwing ripped the Vampire Sword out of Videl, who collapsed to the ground almost like she was boneless. "What do we do with her?" Blackfire asked.

"We take her with us," Nightwing replied. "She is Blaze's servant. That means she may very well have valuable information for us."

"How do you intend to get it out of her?" Raven asked.

"The way I was taught, of course," Nightwing answered. He smiled slowly at Raven. "Of course, you could help ease the process along."

"We are going to have to talk," Raven responded grimly.

"About the sword? About Rij'ze? About those remnants of Trigon?"

"Yes," Raven confirmed. "To all of them."

"Sure," Nightwing replied. "In the meantime, let's get out of here."

Raven wrapped her aura around them all in the form of great black wings and transported them to the base hidden in Nightwing's apartment complex. Nightwing put down the Vampire Sword and picked up the still-unconscious Videl, carrying her to the infirmary segment as Violet carried Red X. Nightwing laid Videl down on the medical cot and tied her down with promethium-titanium-mesh straps. Across from him and Videl, Violet gently laid Red X down on another medical cot, hearing a soft groan from the masked thief.

"You're awfully gentle," Nightwing remarked as he walked up behind Violet.

"Fuck off, Dickwing," Violet retorted. "I'm just trying not to get him more fucked-up than he already is." She sighed. "What the hell was he thinking, putting that ring on?"

"He was probably thinking of you," Nightwing answered. "I made him responsible for you, after all, and as much as he doesn't like playing the part, he has a streak of hero in him. That's why I can count on him."

"You think he's gonna be all right?" Violet wondered.

"Knowing him, he'll be flirting with the first attractive female he sees when he wakes up."

"Three of whom happen to be dating – and fucking – you." Violet's tone was sardonic.

"This thing between them and me, it's complicated. If I had to describe it, it's like all of us fit somewhere in each other's lives and hearts that's difficult for anyone else to."

Violet smiled beneath her mask. "Wow. You sound . . . like you're actually happy."

"They do make me happy. They frustrate me, irritate me, piss me off, and aggravate me, too, and I'm sure I do the same to them, but we make each other happy in the end. That's what counts. Out of everything in the world, that's what counts."

"Who knew the fearsome nocturnal defender Nightwing was such a fucking sap underneath it all?"

Nightwing chuckled. "Don't go around telling people that. I have an image to maintain."

"Sure, whatever."

After making sure that Videl and Red X were secure, Nightwing and Violet returned to Nightwing's lovers and Kushier. "We're going to need help," Nightwing admitted.

"I suppose so," Kushier acknowledged. "Who do you suggest?"

"The most reliable people I know for this kind of thing," Nightwing replied. "The Titans of Myth and Magic."

* * *

End Notes: Who are the Titans of Myth and Magic and how exactly will Nightwing call upon their assistance? Just how did Nightwing's sword become sentient and addicted to blood? Is the fusion of Nightwing's body and soul with Rij'ze's power as beneficial as it seems? What will the Three Ghosts of Trigon do to get their hands on The Ring and its powers? Will Nightwing be able to persuade Videl to cooperate with him and his Titans? And just what is the deal with Slade and Soul Edge . . . and will Soul Calibur appear? For the answers to those questions and others, you'll just have to read on. Until next time.


	6. Sin Within, Sin Without

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 6: "Sin Within, Sin Without"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and the larger DC Universe, with elements of DC's Vertigo imprint, belong to DC Comics and I make no money at all from this story. The swords Soul Edge and Soul Calibur come from the Soul fighting game franchise, which is owned by Namco, and I make no money at all from their use in this story, either. I am doing this purely for my own amusement and hopefully the entertainment of my readers.

Author's note: Nightwing now knows he cannot take on the forces of Hell alone. Of course, he is not quite alone, nor will he be after he calls in some reinforcements. And what of the dangerous new ally he will make in this chapter? Will this ally turn out to be an asset or will Nightwing have cause to regret putting his faith in such a creature? If you want the answers to those questions and others, read on.

* * *

Videl awakened, reverted to her mortal form. She attempted to get up, only to find that she was in restraints. She silently chuckled to herself and channeled Lilith's power into telekinetically breaking her restraints. With the restraints broken, she got off her medical cot and stretched her limbs, a smirk on her face as she spotted the still-unconscious Red X on his own medical cot. She stalked over to his cot and got on it, straddling him.

"Now to find out who's the face behind the mask . . ." she murmured.

Suddenly, the lights turned on, revealing Nightwing and Kushier standing at the door, orbs of black energy in their hands and pointed at Videl. "Step away from X. Now," Nightwing ordered coldly.

"I was just gonna take off his mask," Videl answered. "He's probably suffocating in there."

"Why don't I believe you?" Nightwing asked rhetorically.

Videl smirked. "Maybe because you're a paranoid son of a bitch."

"Yeah, or maybe because you tried to kill me and my team twice," Nightwing retorted.

"Get away from him," Kushier ordered. "That is not a request."

"Who's gonna make me?" Videl asked. "You?"

Kushier smiled, a dangerous expression on her lovely face. "Yes."

Videl flipped off Red X and landed on the balls of her feet. "What do you want?"

"Want? You're going to work with us, Videl," Nightwing answered.

"And what the hell would possess me to do that?" Videl sneered.

"You want that ring out of Slade's hands. So do we. After we get it away from Slade, we can brawl over it all you want. Deal?"

"A chance to rape your pretty ass all over again? Fine."

"And just what were you going to do with Red X, anyway?"

"See what he looks like under that mask. Bet he's cute."

Nightwing chuckled. "What makes you think he'd let you see?"

"He was unconscious," Videl replied. "How was he gonna stop me?"

"You know, I find it really disturbing that you were going to basically violate me in my sleep," Red X remarked. "But if you're really _that_ curious . . ."

Was Red X _flirting_ with Videl? "Oh, my God. You're insane," Nightwing uttered. "You're absolutely insane."

"What, I can't flirt with a good-looking girl?" Red X asked. He looked at Videl curiously. "And just who are you, anyway, cutie?"

"Videl, the girl who basically owned Nightwing and made him my bitch."

"Not how it worked the second time around," Nightwing remarked.

"Sure, whatever," Videl dismissed him. "You only beat me that time because you had your girlfriends backing you up."

Nightwing aimed a sidelong glare at Red X, who simply shrugged it off. "How are you feeling, X?"

"Like I could outrun a sports car," Red X replied. "And outmuscle a professional weightlifter."

"Good," Nightwing said. "I got something for you." He turned to Kushier. "Keep an eye on Videl."

* * *

Kushier nodded curtly, as Nightwing and Red X walked out of the infirmary and into the common area of Nightwing's headquarters, where the girls were waiting. "Back on your feet, huh, Fuckwit?" Violet remarked.

"Yeah, I am," Red X answered. "What's it to you?"

"Hope you didn't mess around with that skank," Violet spat. "She probably has all kinds of diseases you've never heard of."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Red X answered. "I've heard of a lot more things than you think. Once you've been around the block enough times . . ."

"What she's trying to say is that she hopes you're feeling all right," Raven "translated." "So. Are you? All right?"

"Yeah, Dark Bunny, I am," Red X answered sarcastically.

Blackfire giggled. "'Dark Bunny.' I like that one."

Raven glowered at Blackfire and Red X, having nothing but unpleasant memories where bunnies were concerned. "But, Raven, bunnies are cute and snuggly," Starfire brought up.

"But _I'm_ not," Raven insisted.

Nightwing smirked. "You definitely are snuggly, though."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Sometimes, I think I liked you better before you started acting like you had a sense of humor."

"And who's gonna bring you out of your moods?" Nightwing answered, the smirk still on his face.

"I would slap you if I didn't find you so incredibly irresistible," Raven remarked grimly.

"Really? Thanks."

"Completely missing the point, my darling Nightwing."

"Anyway, I've got something to show Red X," Nightwing said. "You think you can help Kushier keep Videl in check?"

"She's still here?" Blackfire asked.

"Yeah," Red X replied. "It's like a marriage of convenience."

Blackfire and Starfire glared at Red X, while Raven didn't necessarily look so pleased herself. Violet herself was impossible to tell by her masked face, but the way her body positioned itself seemed to indicate that Red X's remark hadn't made her happy, either. This simply prompted Nightwing to roll his eyes beneath his mask and lead Red X away to another room within his headquarters.

"So what do you got for me, boss?" Red X asked.

Nightwing opened a case, revealing a high-tech belt that looked somewhat like Red X's standard belt. "It's an upgrade." He flipped the buckle of the belt, revealing an empty rotating slot on its other side. He then pulled out something that looked like a cell phone, only with a red X on its face.

"You serious?" Red X asked. "Looks just like a cell phone."

"Yeah, but here's the good part," Nightwing went on. He flipped the cell phone open and entered the code 7-3-9 followed by the "pound" key. He closed the cell phone and locked it into the slot, then rotated it 90 degrees, locking it into the center of the belt. Immediately, lines of red light traveled up and down from the belt, vaguely forming a humanoid outline. The outline solidified into a black suit with silver metal trim, black metal reinforcement, and red highlights, the most notable of the latter being Red X's symbol slashed across the black chest armor. The mask resembled Red X's normal mask, but the red X was situated in the center of the mask, expanding from between the golden eyes themselves.

"Armor?" Red X asked.

"Yeah," Nightwing confirmed. "Something I've been working on for a while now; I just stepped it up after we got back. The enemies we're going up against are a lot tougher than we've been fighting here for a while. Figured you could use a little extra protection. Your regular suit will function as an interface of sorts, allowing you to control the armor as though it were your own body but with amplified movements."

"So . . . I can hit _harder?_"

"And _faster._ Strength is useless without speed."

"How do I deactivate it, though?" Red X asked.

Nightwing rotated the cell phone out of its buckle position and opened it, pressing the "end call" button. Immediately, the armor dissolved. "By the way, there's another code you can enter, if you're feeling the need for speed."

"I always feel the need for speed," Red X quipped.

"Yeah, I know. The code is 9-5-7-8. It'll create a localized temporal distortion around whoever's wearing the armor, shifting the wearer's individual timestream out of phase with the rest of the space-time continuum."

"In English?"

"You go fast. Really fast, although technically you're not going fast, your timestream is just sped up so that to you, everyone else is just slow."

"Like bullet time?" Red X smirked beneath his mask. "I like it."

"Knew you would," Nightwing answered. "Now we'd better get ready. We gotta meet up with Wonder Girl and the Titan Mystics."

"Ooh, Wonder Girl," Red X remarked. "Luscious Amazon babe, here I come . . ."

Nightwing aimed a sidelong glare of warning at Red X. "You might want to start thinking with your upper head as opposed to your lower head. Otherwise, you'll meet a very bad end."

"Lighten up, chuckles. I know what I'm doing."

"Sure you do."

* * *

Elsewhere in the city, the three ghosts of Trigon were hunting down Slade on their motorcycles. None of the three were quite at full strength from the battle they'd gone through with Nightwing and his allies-slash-lovers, but they were feeling better than they were previously. The important thing right then was to find Slade and take that ring from him. They would not allow a mere puppet to a deranged sword to have that kind of power at his disposal, much less a puppet that was once a minion of theirs.

At that moment, a silver-and-white blur interrupted them, zigzagging around the three demon motorcyclists and slashing them. The blur stopped behind them and whirled around, revealing itself to be a silver-clad male figure with Batman-like metal bracers and a silver mask with a hooded mantle over it. The mask had a six-pronged red symbol over the mouth, with lurid white eyes staring out from the mask. Six sharp blade-like fins extended from the back of the silver costume, but the most attention-drawing thing about him was the crystalline sword in his hand and the crystalline armor over the arm of the hand that held that sword.

This was Azrael, the Avenging Angel of Death, and the three ghosts of Trigon whirled to face him. Revy's eyes widened in almost-primal terror as she sighted his sword. "Soul Calibur . . ."

Azrael lifted his sword, pointing it at the three ghosts of Trigon. "Time to die, demons."

"You first," Riven snarled, riding at Azrael, who charged toward him with roughly the same speed at which Riven was riding at him. As they were about to meet, Azrael jumped into the air and lifted Soul Calibur over his head, coming down to directly stab Riven with the holy weapon. To his surprise, Riven grabbed the blade, despite the fact that its touch burned him, and with all his strength threw Azrael aside. Azrael twisted in midair and landed skidding on his feet, just as Revy and Nevi moved to assault him.

At that moment, a shadow with tattered wings descended upon the ghosts of Trigon, attacking them brutally. "Severin," Azrael hissed.

"Azrael," the identified Severin answered with a smirk.

Not giving Severin any more mind than that, Azrael let out a roar and charged the three ghosts of Trigon. With a single swing of Soul Calibur, he felled Nevi, Revy, and Riven, knocking them off their motorcycles and destroying said motorcycles. The three demons soon got up, though, and none of them were pleased with the damage Azrael had done them. Drawing their own weapons from the remains of their motorcycles, they stood ready to do battle with Azrael and Severin.

"Come on," Azrael challenged.

The three ghosts of Trigon charged Azrael and Severin, the latter of whom had manifested a flaming sword. With a furious battle cry, Azrael lunged at the demons and began brutally mixing it up with them. Each attack of theirs was either blocked or powered through with sheer "angelic wrath" on Azrael's part. In contrast, Severin sidestepped many of the demons' attacks and countered with vicious precision. Together, Azrael and Severin were having quite a time of battling the three fragments of Trigon's essence.

Revy attempted to run Azrael through, only for Azrael to look up at her . . . and punch her so hard with his crystalline-armored hand that she crashed through a building. Azrael pulled her sword out of him and held it in the hand that wasn't holding Soul Calibur. Crossing both swords, he used them to block and repel Revy's retaliatory flying kick. With a vicious swing of both swords, he threw her back with just the _wind_ that had been disturbed by that swing.

Severin twisted to evade Nevi and Riven's sword strikes and blocked their next sword swings with an arm and a leg. With another twist, he whirled in midair and kicked Nevi, then back-flipped into a drop kick to Riven. Using his wings to buffer his landing, Severin positioned himself gracefully back on the ground. Nevi and Riven resumed their attack, only for Severin to block their swords with his flaming one. Twisting around while still blocking their swords, Severin kicked Riven in the solar plexus, while Nevi managed to slice him in the back, cutting one of his wings, eliciting a pained cry from Severin.

"You're going to suffer for that . . ." the tattered-winged boy vowed furiously, as the flames engulfing his sword blazed more intensely.

Riven got up, ready to attack Severin when Azrael interrupted with a slash of Soul Calibur and a brutal swat from his crystal-armored fist. When Nevi moved to attack, Azrael slashed him with the sharp fins on his metal bracers before impaling him on Soul Calibur. With a vicious stomp kick, Azrael knocked Nevi down, just as Riven was moving to attack. Azrael answered Riven's assault with a whirling roundhouse kick that slammed him into a nearby car. At that moment, Revy descended upon him with a punch that could have smashed an Apokoliptic tank, only for Azrael to catch her punch and perform a brutal toss that slammed her to the ground.

"You're not human . . ." Revy growled. "You're no angel, either . . . you're not even a demon . . . you're worse."

"Tough talk coming from someone who's going to be dead soon enough," Azrael answered. He brandished Soul Calibur and Revy's sword, ready to kill her with both.

Just then, the three ghosts of Trigon, all from their differing positions, sprang up to attack Azrael at once. Azrael's answer was to brutally cut down all three of them with Soul Calibur, although they did get up again to attack. This time, Azrael blocked Revy's kick with his forearm, simultaneously slicing her heel and Achilles tendon with the bladed fins on his bracer. He ducked under Nevi's punch and delivered a vicious uppercut that threw him into the air and sent him crashing into a nearby building. With a sweep of his leg, Azrael knocked Riven's feet out from under him and ran him through with Soul Calibur before he landed.

"Do any of you fools want more, or are you going to do the wise thing and flee?" Azrael sneered.

Suddenly, Riven began to disperse into bright red mist that floated toward Revy. Similarly, Nevi's form was dissolving into vivid red mist that was also floating toward Revy. Once the two demons had dissolved entirely into unnatural red mist, they merged with Revy, who howled with elation as her power began to escalate . . . power enough to begin feeling like her real self again. She slowly rose to her feet, her form growing taller and more muscled and her skin turning a very bright shade of red. Her hair paled to white and a crown of antler-like horns formed around her head.

"_**Much better . . ."**_ she growled.

"Trigon . . ." Severin uttered, horrified. He looked at Azrael with dismay, and Azrael simply looked at Trigon with what would have been clear bloodlust if his face wasn't masked.

* * *

With inhuman speed, Trigon charged Azrael and punched him so hard the Soul Calibur wielder was sent flying and ultimately crashed to the ground in a silver heap. Trigon turned to Severin and fired a blast of hellfire at him from all four of her eyes, only for Severin to barely dodge the assault. Regrouping, Severin sped at Trigon and slashed at her with his flaming sword, only for Trigon to grab his burning blade and throw him aside. With a furious roar, Azrael rushed Trigon, intending to run her through with Soul Calibur. Trigon simply caught Soul Calibur through her hand and then pulled Azrael over for a brutal knee slam to his stomach, throwing the silver-clad "avenging angel" aside after he crumpled.

"_**You still think you can oppose me?"**_ she taunted.

Azrael rose to his feet despite the injuries he had been dealt by Trigon. "You're not fully restored, are you? Otherwise you wouldn't be using that womanly form."

Trigon laughed. _**"And what makes you think this isn't simply preference? Besides, I'm more than strong enough to rip you and your half-breed friend apart!"**_

Just then, Severin flew at Trigon with his flaming sword drawn to finish her. Trigon's response was to blast Severin out of the sky, just as Azrael went on the attack. Trigon phase-shifted out of the way of Azrael's attack and then reconfigured to brutally kick-slam Azrael to the ground, creating a small crater with Azrael's body in it. The injured Severin moved to attack Trigon, only for Trigon to grab him by the throat and slam him into the same crater in which she'd placed Azrael, making the crater even bigger.

"_**I think I'll bury you two alive,"**_ she mused, telekinetically warping the asphalt so that it closed around Azrael and Severin. _**"That takes care of two of my enemies. Now for the others."**_

At that moment, two black-armored motorcyclists rode at Trigon, as four young women came at him from above and one woman in leonine black armor kept pace with the motorcyclists on foot and a violet-clad redhead was on the skull-masked motorcyclist's bike. The other motorcyclist jumped off his bike, drew a black sword with a dragon's-head hilt that opened to unleash chthonic power, and slashed Trigon. Landing on the ground, he skidded on his feet and twisted to kick Trigon, only for Trigon to catch his ankle and throw him aside.

"Nightwing!" one of the flying women, a bronze-skinned redhead named Starfire and wearing a skimpy purple outfit that had to be seen to be believed, shouted. Now an incandescent green with righteous fury, she flew at Trigon and battered her viciously with a series of rapid punches, finishing with a brutal kick. Trigon staggered back but was not completely felled by the woman's assault; in fact, she was ready to retaliate.

Nightwing came back, having discarded his helmet and now charging Trigon. "You know, for a woman, you're not all that pretty."

Trigon snarled and turned the hellfire blast she was about to direct at Starfire on Nightwing, only for Nightwing to bifurcate the blast with his Vampire Sword. At that moment, a bronze-skinned dark-haired woman named Blackfire, who was just as scantily clad as Starfire, and a pink-haired woman named Videl, who was somewhat but not that much more clad than either Blackfire or Starfire, attacked Trigon together, moving in vicious tandem. With a flare of her hellish aura, Trigon deflected Blackfire's and Videl's attacks, knocking them both down. The last flying woman, a cloaked figure in black named Raven, wrapped herself in black energy and performed a supercharged corkscrew kick to Trigon. On the ground, a raging black spectral lion mauled Trigon, although Trigon was ultimately able to defeat it.

Trigon chuckled. _**"Having your harem do the fighting for you now, Nightwing? Not surprising. The female has always been the deadlier of the species . . . precisely because no one expects her to be deadly in the first place."**_

The skull-masked motorcyclist, Red X, and his violet-clad companion Violet, got off his motorcycle. "Hey, ugly," Red X taunted. "Rematch." He detached a cellular phone from his belt and flipped the buckle over to reveal a slot on the other side. Red X opened the cell phone and entered the code 7-3-9-#, closing the phone once it was finished and locking it into the slot, which rotated 90 degrees to lock into the belt and form a new buckle. Lines of red light expanded from the belt and formed a human-shaped grid of energy around him, which solidified into an armored version of his suit, complete with a death's-head plate that had a red X extending from between the golden eyes.

Just as the eight were ready to make their move, giant crystal sculptures ripped out of the ground, forming structures not entirely unlike what passed for buildings back on Krypton. Those structures shattered into a flurry of crystal shards that assaulted Trigon, forcing her to draw a telekinetic shield for her protection. Unfortunately for her, the shards pierced her shield, cutting and stabbing her until . . . she was all but dead.

"Where did that come from?" Blackfire asked.

Standing where the crystal structures had once been was Azrael, who held Soul Calibur in his hand . . . and the crystal armor now covered his entire arm and side and was creeping down his leg. Beside him stood Severin, who held a burning sword and had tattered gray wings resting on his back. Neither of the two looked entirely happy, and both looked rather ready to fight.

"Azrael?" Nightwing uttered.

"Joseph?" Raven uttered.

Nightwing looked at Raven. "You know him?"

"He's from one of my day classes," Raven replied. "I always suspected something was up with him, but I wasn't anticipating this."

Severin looked at Raven and smiled gently. "I'll tell you later, Raven. Right now . . ."

"Yes," Azrael growled. "_Now,_ we slay."

"That sword looks kinda cool," Violet remarked of Azrael's blade.

"It's Soul Calibur," Raven explained. "The 'holy' version of Soul Edge. Its power lies largely in its 'purity,' which makes it quite dangerous to those of demonic stock."

"You're almost sarcastic about the whole 'holy' thing," Nightwing remarked.

"That's because both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur have the power to destroy the world," Raven answered. "Soul Edge would burn the world to a cinder. Soul Calibur would trap the world in a permanent stasis."

Nightwing felt the Vampire Sword, Queen Crimson, "speaking" to him. "You don't like Soul Calibur, do you?"

Raven looked at Nightwing askance. "I do worry for you, with that sword and all."

Trigon charged at the assorted combatants, who all either evaded or attacked. Red X and Violet evaded, along with Kushier, Starfire, and Raven. Nightwing, Severin, Azrael, Blackfire, and Videl attacked, Azrael leaping into the air and coming down with a battle howl to cleave Trigon in half. Despite his best efforts, Trigon caught Soul Calibur and brutally punched Azrael to the ground. Blackfire and Videl hurled starbolts and hellish lightning respectively at Trigon, who retaliated with a blast of infernal force. Severin cleaved the blast in half with his own burning blade, coming through it to attack Trigon while Nightwing impaled Trigon with Queen Crimson.

"_**You think . . . that's enough to stop me?"**_ she mocked him, just before generating so much psychokinetic force that all ten warriors were thrown to the ground.

Nightwing turned his head to look at Queen Crimson. "Did that taste good, Regina?" The pulse he received from Queen Crimson sounded more like a delighted trill, which Nightwing took as a "yes." With a smirk, he sat up and looked around at the others. "Everybody all right?"

"You know, a girl's gonna get jealous if she thinks you like that sword better than her," Blackfire remarked.

"Good, _you're_ all right," Nightwing responded. "Everyone else?"

"I will, as you say in your native tongue, 'live,'" Starfire answered. "And as long as I continue to live, I will continue to fight."

"That's the spirit, babe," Red X remarked. "Doing all right, too, Fearless Leader."

"Ugh, anyone get the number of that tank?" Violet asked.

Kushier helped Violet to her feet. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, no big," Violet replied. "Not like I'm aching all over."

"I can help with that, cutie," Red X offered.

"Kick her ass first, and then we'll talk," Violet retorted.

"I'm having fun," Videl said. "Are you having fun, Red X?"

"Of course I'm having fun," Red X answered. "I'm always having fun."

"Glad one of us is," Raven grumbled.

"Aw, don't be such a grouch, Raven," Severin chided. "Sometimes, it helps to make light of these things."

Azrael rose to his feet, fury in his lurid white eyes. Stabbing Soul Calibur into the ground, he sent a wave of holy force through it to attack Trigon, who roared in fury and pain. "Does that hurt?" Azrael inquired coldly. He swung Soul Calibur, sending another wave of holy force in the form of a cutting wind to attack Trigon. "You poor thing. Shall I put you out of this world's misery?"

"Azrael, what are you doing?" Nightwing asked.

"Finishing this abomination off," Azrael answered grimly. He slashed downward with Soul Calibur, sending one more slicing wave of holy force at Trigon . . . who attempted to protect herself with a telekinetic barrier. The barrier was shattered, but it'd halved the force of Azrael's attack just enough that she could survive it. The slicing wave cut her diagonally, from shoulder to hip, and she was bleeding profusely from that injury.

Trigon growled in seething wrath. _**"You? Hurt me? I'll BATHE IN YOUR BLOOD, YOU WRETCHED BEAST OF A MAN!"**_ With a hellfire blast from her eyes, Trigon felled Azrael, although the protection of Soul Calibur ensured that he survived. She then turned her attention to Videl. _**"Blaze's servant. How would you like a taste of true power?"**_

"Already had one," Videl answered. "And you're looking quite pathetic to me right now."

"_**Insolent child!"**_ Trigon roared, dashing into an attack on Videl, who dodged and blocked with mocking ease.

"I'm all _woman,_" Videl responded. She made a gesture vaguely tracing her body. "Look at this. You think this belongs to a child? Bitch. This is totally _S-class woman._" On the last word, she lightning-slapped Trigon into a nearby car, the car crumpling around Trigon. She stalked over to the seemingly beaten Trigon and began to crumple the car around her prone frame in a manner causing it to vaguely resemble a coffin.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nightwing asked.

"Letting her know just how badly she's been owned," Videl replied. "Don't worry. I'm gonna be done soon." Upon entombing Trigon in the wreckage of the car she had slammed her into, Videl picked up the makeshift coffin and flew over the ocean, hovering above the deepest part of it. "Say bye-bye . . ."

"_**Bye-bye . . ."**_ Trigon growled, bursting free of the car-cum-coffin with hellfire and psychic force emanating from her. She grabbed Videl by her head and dived into a body-slam that brought them three miles beneath the ocean surface, with a brutal impact on the ocean floor that triggered a series of moderate storm surges. One of those storm surges even blossomed into what strongly resembled a tsunami inexorably approaching the coast of Los Angeles.

"Fuck me . . ." Violet uttered.

"Yeah, I'd like to take you up on that . . . but fucking tsunami's in the way," Red X murmured, affecting a joviality that he didn't actually feel.

"It seems Videl has . . . how do you say it here . . . fucked things up, has she not?" Starfire remarked grimly.

"Your mouth gets filthier every day you spend on this planet," Blackfire responded. "I'm sure Nightwing's going to enjoy cleaning it out."

"We don't have time for innuendo," Raven grumbled. "Los Angeles is about to drown."

* * *

End Notes: There you have it; Videl has "joined" the good guys, and things are not quite going so well. Azrael and Severin, the latter being a creation of my friend The Wolf Demon, have also "fucked things up," as Starfire so delicately put it, if you consider forcing Trigon to remerge into a stronger unified form to be making things worse. (For the record, the Azrael I'm using here is a DC Comics character, specifically affiliated with Batman.) Will our heroes be able to save their city from succumbing to an unholy deluge? Is Soul Calibur more threat than blessing? When will the Titans of Myth and Magic show up? For the answers to those questions and others, read on and thank you for getting this far.


	7. Nightglow and Daytrip

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 7: "Nightglow and Daytrip"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and the larger universe it inhabits, as well as some supernatural elements, belong to DC Comics and its Vertigo line. I make no money from this story and my own profit is satisfaction that someone is reading this.

Author's note: Yeah, Nightwing and the gang have gotten themselves into a fine mess as of last chapter. Some of that mess . . . is Azrael's fault, or is it Soul Calibur's? Some of that mess is Videl's fault; never trust a mystically supercharged homicidal nutcase to do things with restraint and caution. The rest . . . might very well be on their heads. Will they survive? Will they save the city, not to mention the world? And will they have help? Ah, enough questions, time for the action.

* * *

Raven embraced their allies in shadowy black psychic wings and shunted them to the shore, on which the tidal wave was advancing. She immediately threw up a massive telekinetic barrier between the edge of the shore and the oncoming tsunami, hoping to prevent it from crashing down and destroying everything in its path. Surprisingly bolstering her telekinetic barrier was a shield of fiery golden energy.

"Where did that come from?" Red X asked.

Nightwing looked up and saw a figure wreathed in fiery golden energy that partially took the shape of great angelic wings. Upon closer examination, he saw that the figure was female and blonde, with muscles and voluptuous curves accented by a uniform consisting of a white leotard with a royal blue stripe running down the shoulders and arms and a thick royal blue stripe down the middle that ended in a loincloth-like extension. The blue stripe down the center was broken only by a white eight-pointed geometric star that seemed to be there solely to draw attention to her chest, while metallic silver gauntlets covered her hands and metallic silver boots encased her legs all the way to the knees.

"And who the hell is she?" Blackfire asked.

At that moment, Nightwing heard someone shout, "_Edecer!_"

_Zatanna!?!_ Nightwing thought, momentarily panicked. Then he noticed that the voice was too deep to be hers. He looked up at the wave and saw it retreating into the ocean. He turned around and saw a teenage boy in a stage magician's outfit and wearing a cocky smirk.

"Good work, Zatara," a familiar female voice complimented.

That drew everyone's attention to a flying girl dressed in a V-necked black star-field top with a vaguely eagle-like golden design adorning the collar and skintight red pants with white stars decorating the outsides of the legs. She was quite lovely, in an unassuming "girl next door" way, with long black hair framing her face. "Wonder Girl," Nightwing called. "Were you looking for us?"

"Always," Wonder Girl answered with a smile.

At that moment, Trigon and Videl both launched themselves out of the water, attacking each other in midair before Videl grabbed Trigon and threw her back on land. Trigon landed on her feet and straightened up, facing off against not only Nightwing's group but Wonder Girl's group as well. Wonder Girl's group consisted not only of herself and Zatara, but also a girl in a black PVC dress with black-and-purple-striped stockings, platform boots, and pink hair styled in "horns," a surly dark-haired girl dressed in a red leather jacket over a black shirt and jeans with torn knees, a boy who looked like a teenage Trigon aside from having only one pair of eyes, a costumed male in navy blue and black, and a boy dressed in black with a gold lightning bolt over his chest and gold lightning stripes running down his arms and legs. Those other five were Jinx, bad-luck witch turned good; Gemma Masters, urban sorceress in the making; Kid Devil, born of a Faustian pact; Obsidian, master of shadows; and Osiris, the young sharer of Black Adam's powers.

Red X smirked at Trigon beneath his mask. "Can you say . . . 'I'm fucked'?"

"_**Yes. You're fucked,"**_ Trigon retorted, just before launching an attack. Wonder Girl intercepted, hurling her lasso at Trigon to trap her. Channeling a portion of Hestia's fire through the lasso, Wonder Girl attempted to incinerate Trigon in the flames of truth and justice. To her shock, though, Trigon simply let out an enraged howl before bursting free from Wonder Girl's lasso, following up with a series of hyper-fast punches to her jaw and stomach that ended with a brutal spin kick that knocked Wonder Girl to the ground.

Osiris flew at Trigon, only to be deflected into the water. Obsidian and Raven combined their powers, lashing out at Trigon with shadow constructs . . . which Trigon shattered with multiple punches. Jinx threw waves of entropic force at Trigon, only for Trigon to jump out of the way and land with enough force to knock everyone down to the ground. Kid Devil got up first, lunging at Trigon, who simply kicked him in the stomach. This had the unanticipated effect of causing Kid Devil to breathe hellfire right in Trigon's face.

At that moment, Red X blurred behind Trigon and slashed her with an energy sword extending from his gauntlet. Trigon roared in anger and swung at Red X, only for Red X to dodge and cartwheel into a kick to Trigon's stomach. Nightwing and Azrael charged Trigon with Queen Crimson and Soul Calibur at the ready, only for Trigon to catch their blades in each hand. Unfazed, Nightwing and Azrael jump-kicked Trigon in the head, while Starfire and Blackfire came down from the sky with brutal punches that nearly felled Trigon. Raven wrapped shadowy wings around herself and launched herself into a drill-like corkscrew kick that put a neat hole in Trigon's stomach.

"And now we finish this!" Videl yelled. "Stand aside, punk-ass bitches!" She flew at Trigon and kicked her so hard in the head that it twisted around a neat 180 degrees, much to the horror of the others present.

"Bitch is frigging wrong," Gemma remarked.

"You said it," Zatara remarked.

To the even greater horror of the others, that didn't finish Trigon off; she just twisted her head around to its original position and then cracked her neck to make sure everything was still in place. With an evil smirk, she unleashed a tornado of hellish flame, turning the sand immediately around her to glass and knocking the combined teams for a loop. Violet was among the first to get up, muttering to herself, "Doesn't she fucking die or something?"

"_**It'll take a lot more than what you have to kill me,"**_ Trigon taunted.

"Why can't we finish her?" Nightwing muttered.

_I'm going to give you a boost,_ Rij'ze answered, _seeing as how you desperately need it. I should warn you, we still haven't merged enough that you can take so much of my power outside the Shadowlands and not damage yourself, even with my power also healing you._

_I'll worry about it later,_ Nightwing answered. _Right now, we need to kick her ass, and kick it hard._

_As you wish._

Black fire circled around Nightwing's sword-holding arm and engulfed the Vampire Sword itself. With inhuman speed, he flashed behind Trigon . . . and a second later Trigon had a gaping wound in her side, one with black fire around the edges. With an angry roar, Trigon whirled around and fired a hellfire blast from her eyes, only for Nightwing to dodge and come down with a swing of his sword. Trigon grabbed the burning blade, only for the black fire to nearly burn her hand off.

At that moment, Severin charged Trigon with his own burning sword, his wings having changed from merely tattered-looking to something more bat-like. With fury in his glowing eyes, he slashed at Trigon again and again at high speeds until Trigon caught his sword and kneed him in the stomach. At that moment, a shadow-merged Obsidian attacked Trigon with a multitude of shadow-construct knives, wounding the demon lord. Throwing hellfire, Trigon managed to fell Obsidian, as the light from the infernal energies rendered him particularly vulnerable.

"_Dnas, niartser!_" Zatara shouted, and the sand immediately wrapped around Trigon and hardened to trap her.

"I don't think you have her," Gemma remarked.

"What do you mean?" Zatara asked.

"Don't you watch anime? Every time you think you've got the motherfucker dead to rights, he pulls some shit out of his ass to save himself and then we go round and round the motherfucking bend again," Gemma explained. "You'll see what I mean."

Indeed, Zatara did see what Gemma meant, as Trigon burst free of the restraining sand and everyone who wasn't wearing an eye-covering mask shielded their eyes as best as they could. In the moments they took to protect their eyes, many of them were struck down by Trigon. Those that weren't took the fight to Trigon, striking with swords, energy blasts, or just fists. With a cry of "Shazam," Osiris kicked Trigon, channeling the magical lightning through the kick and into Trigon, aggravating her injuries severely. Osiris fell back from the kick, and in his place lay a seemingly helpless brown-haired boy, who rolled over and repeated the cry of "Shazam." The magical lightning struck again, transforming the boy into the black-and-gold-suited Osiris, who straightened up to attack Trigon again.

Wonder Girl, Videl, Starfire, Blackfire, and Kushier tackled Trigon together, attacking her from all sides, some more viciously than others. No matter where Trigon turned, she was met by an assault from one of the warrior women. Finally fed up, Trigon set off a miniature explosion with herself at the center, throwing the five warrior women back, although they all clambered onto their feet. It was at that moment that the angelic woman finally took action, diving into an attack on Trigon, which Trigon deflected as best as she could, but exhaustion was creeping upon her and the angelic woman was comparatively fresh.

"I hate to say something so cliché, but I feel it's appropriate in this case," the woman remarked wryly. "You're going back to the hell that spawned you and this time . . . you're not coming back for more." Generating a burning sword from her arm, the woman sliced Trigon in half and then, in a burst of unnatural speed, sliced Trigon's halves into ever-smaller pieces. With a final blast of angelic fire, the woman incinerated Trigon's remains. "That's one down."

"Just who the hell are you?" Violet asked.

"Call me Seraph," the woman replied.

"Hey!" Videl shouted. "That was _my kill!_ But I can always make up for it by bagging an angel!" She flew at Seraph, intending to kill her in Trigon's place, only for Seraph to effortlessly deflect Videl's attack and brutally slam her to the ground. To everyone's surprise, Videl started screaming. "_It burns! It fucking burns!_"

"The dark cannot stand against the light," Seraph whispered. "Nor can the dark stand against itself. That is why you are weak. That is why you will not be able to defeat the forces arrayed against you."

"Great," Gemma sneered. "Another sanctimonious angel."

"No," Seraph answered somberly. "I speak as someone who has experienced firsthand the corruptive powers of the dark . . . and as someone who has sworn never to be seduced by such wicked power again."

"Excuse you!" Kid Devil snapped. "We're not all evil!"

Seraph looked at Kid Devil. "Your soul is the most jeopardized. You _chose_ that form."

Kid Devil bristled visibly, his skin burning hotter. Jinx looked at Kid Devil askance. "Hey, Kid, you mind turning it down a bit? I'm sweating like a pig here."

Nightwing slowly stalked toward Seraph. "Who . . . the hell . . . _do you think_ . . . _you are_ . . . _**to judge us?**_" he asked coldly, his voice increasingly demonic.

As he reached Seraph, the angelic woman grabbed his sword by the blade and fiery golden energy wrapped around it. Nightwing felt an agonized pulse from the Vampire Sword, as its spirit felt as though she were being boiled alive. "Yes . . . you poor thing . . . this is a mercy, one you will be grateful for in time."

Nightwing attempted to wrench the sword out of her hand, but Seraph wouldn't let go. He could hear Queen Crimson's screams of agony in his mind and it took all of his will not to crumple to the ground in agony. Finally, green and violet starbolts struck Seraph, stunning her enough to allow Nightwing to pull the sword free of her grasp. However, once he did so, he collapsed to the ground, suddenly overcome with weakness.

Raven immediately rushed over to him, as did Starfire and Blackfire. "Nightwing!" Starfire exclaimed.

"Baby, are you . . . ?" Blackfire asked.

Nightwing gasped for air, like someone who'd been underwater a little too long. "It was . . ." He looked at his sword, the blade of which was no longer black but rather brilliantly silver, along with the dragon's-head hilt. "I think . . . whatever she did . . . she disrupted Rij'ze's energies . . . I won't be able to tap that kind of power for a while."

"It will ultimately be to your benefit," Seraph spoke. "That power is poison to your soul."

Blackfire rose up first, followed by Raven, both of them glaring at Seraph with glowing eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are?!" Blackfire yelled at the angel. "Those powers helped save the world!"

"And they also nearly destroyed the world on multiple occasions," Seraph answered. "The Shadowlord jailed inside Nightwing's body and soul is slowly spreading his taint. Eventually, your lover will be completely consumed by the darkness. I was able to slow that process, but thanks to your and your sister's interference, I was not able to complete the reversal."

"Not all who are part of the darkness are evil," Obsidian whispered. "And not all who give to the light are good."

Seraph stared icily at the assembled group. "You who are powered by the dark, know that the dark can never hope to drive out the dark. Only the light can drive out the dark. To think otherwise will be your downfall." Her wings wrapped around her and in a burst of golden light, she transported herself far away.

* * *

Wonder Girl looked around. "Is everybody all right?"

"Yeah, mostly," Red X answered, looking at the writhing Videl.

Raven moved over to Severin. "Who are you and what have you done with Joseph?"

"I'll explain," Severin replied. "My name is Severin, and I am actually the son of an angel and a demon."

The unarmored Kushier looked at Severin with piqued interest. "Go on."

"Shortly after my birth, my mother was murdered by my father, to prove his loyalty to the Fallen. I . . . incarnated myself inside a newborn that you would come to know as Joseph. I lived inside him, slowly regaining my strength as he aged."

"Is he aware of you?" Raven asked.

"Not exactly," Severin admitted. "He gets flashes of memory of my actions, but he just chalks them up to half-remembered dreams. He has no real idea where the visions come from."

"And what about you, Kushier?" Nightwing asked. "What's your stake in this?"

Kushier looked at Violet, sadness in her eyes. "I wish I could have talked this over with you in private."

"Talked over what?" Violet asked.

"I'm . . . your ancestor," Kushier admitted.

"How's that possible?" Violet inquired. "You're an angel. I'm just human."

"It's possible because, some millennia ago, I had sexual relations with a demon," Kushier answered. "A child was born of our union. The father was killed. I was forced to flee heaven or be killed as well, along with my child. I was not going to let my child die, so I did what I could. I had to abandon the poor girl, place her with a family I knew would love and care for her in ways I would never be able to. That didn't mean I couldn't look out for her in other ways.

"That's what I did, over the centuries. Watched my child grow up, fall in love, get married, and have children of her own. Watched as those children grew up, fell in love, married, and reproduced as well. I watched as the cycle repeat itself, again and again throughout the successive generations. Ultimately, there came to be you . . . as well as your cousins."

"So you're saying I'm part angel, part demon?" Violet uttered, although it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yes," Kushier replied. "It's rather common, believe it or not. Angels and demons reproduce with each other and with humans quite often. Most of the products of such unions don't survive very long, as the Hosts and the Fallen alike see them as abominations. Those that do survive tend only to do so through outside intervention in one form or another."

"Have they ever . . . come after me?"

"Sometimes. But most of them are convinced that your human blood has diluted your angelic and demonic blood so much that you'd pose no real threat."

Violet scoffed. "Well, I'll show them. Humans can be pretty damned dangerous in their own way."

"Then I will train you. I will teach you how to fight on par with the angels and the demons."

Azrael looked at the assembled group, Soul Calibur still clenched tightly in his hand but the crystal armor receded. "I will fight with you."

"No offense, but you're kind of a loose cannon," Zatara said. "What happens if you go berserker again while we're in a fight? You could very well get us all killed."

Nightwing looked at Zatara. "I trust him."

"You serious?" Red X asked.

"Yeah," Nightwing replied. "Slade has Soul Edge. About the only thing that can stand up to that kind of power is Soul Calibur. Azrael has Soul Calibur . . . and he's on our side, fundamentally."

"Sure," Zatara answered. "Just don't look at me when he slices you all up."

"Where do you want to regroup?" Nightwing asked Wonder Girl.

"My place would be good," Wonder Girl replied. "Besides, yours isn't big enough for all of us."

"She's got a point," Raven admitted. "It can barely hold just us five."

Nightwing sighed and turned to Severin and Azrael. "You two coming?"

"Why not?" Severin answered laconically.

"What about her?" Gemma asked, looking at Videl.

"She's with us," Nightwing replied.

"Then let's go," Raven said, engulfing all of them in shadowy energy and transplanting them to Wonder Girl's headquarters.

* * *

As soon as they emerged, Red X moved to Videl and picked her up. "You might wanna change back."

"Why?" Videl spat.

"Because you're calling demon lords for the power you've got now, and Seraph just took you apart in one move," Red X answered.

"I'm not changing back."

"Why not? Don't like being human? You're pretty cute that way, you know?"

Videl barked out a harsh laugh. "Don't make me laugh."

"Usually, if I was trying to make a lady laugh, I'd actually make a joke," Red X remarked.

"Shut the fuck up," Videl sneered.

"You want me to drop you?" Red X asked.

"Just get me somewhere I can sleep this off," Videl grumbled.

"That could work, but first . . ." Gemma grabbed Videl's wrist and both girls made pained expressions as hellish lightning and flame engulfed the area where their flesh made contact. Videl passed out, while Gemma collapsed on one knee, her head lowered.

"What the fuck was that?" Red X asked.

Gemma looked up, revealing glowing red eyes that faded back to brown. "Had to siphon off some of her powers. She's still dangerous, but only if she wakes up and even then she should be easier to take." She rubbed her arm, which pushed up the sleeve of her jacket to reveal serpentine coils of runes tattooed on her arm, runes that had a faint glow to them.

"Runes of protection," Raven observed.

"Good eye," Gemma replied. "Got them from my uncle. Said if I was gonna tangle with the occult, I'd better at least have some prophylactic to keep them from getting inside."

"Your uncle wouldn't be John Constantine, would he?" Nightwing wondered.

"Yeah, he is," Gemma confirmed. "What of it?"

"Nothing," Nightwing answered.

_That angel . . ._ _I sense human . . ._ Rij'ze snarled internally, his "voice" coming in weaker than it normally did.

_Human? You mean . . ._

_Not quite in the way you're thinking, but she is partially human. It seems that whoever this angel is, she's melded with a human and partially overwritten the original human's identity. Her talk of knowing what it's like to "fall" to the darkness may be experience . . . on the human's part._

_So you're saying, whoever the human she merged with is . . ._

_. . . might not have been such an angel, to put it lightly._

_**Nightwing . . .**_ a wavering warble called.

_Regina?_ Nightwing asked.

_**I feel strange . . .**_ Queen Crimson murmured. _**The thirst . . . I don't feel it anymore . . .**_

_Huh . . ._ Nightwing thought.

* * *

As Nightwing was busy conversing with the spirit of his sword and the Shadowlord his body chained, Red X was escorting Videl to the infirmary, with Jinx following. "So what's the deal with you and her?" she asked.

"Nothing," Red X answered. "She tried to kill Nightwing. She tried to rape me in my sleep. She's a homicidal, psychopathic bitch." He snickered. "And I so . . . so . . . want her."

"You're even crazier than Nightwing," Jinx remarked. "Then again, it must run in the family."

"Run in the family?" Red X echoed. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"What do you think, X? Or can I call you Jason?"

Red X glared at Jinx. "How the hell do you know who I am?"

"I know by virtue of my contacts. Only someone with an intimate knowledge of Nightwing could get past the defenses he set up. Only someone who knew his secrets as well as you do could get at that suit and get out with it completely unnoticed."

Red X let out a terse chuckle. "So you know who I am. And the way you're talking, it sounds like you know who Nightwing is, too. Just one problem . . . you used to be H.I.V.E. Can't believe you wouldn't try to make a profit off our identities. Considering all the scum we've pissed off . . ."

"It's my ace in the hole, my trump card in case I have nothing else left," Jinx answered. "And for now, I still have plenty up my sleeve. Pray it stays that way."

"Whatever," Red X scoffed, faking an ease he didn't really feel. If Jinx knew who he and Nightwing were . . . that made her dangerous. The fact that she hadn't told anyone made no difference; she had said it herself that she was saving her knowledge for a situation in which she had nothing else to count on. Underneath the impassive death's-head mask he wore, Red X contemplated his options. Killing Jinx was one, but putting a bullet in her head or a blade through her heart would do more harm than good, given that she was now an ally of the Titans. Finding something on her and threatening to tell her boyfriend Kid Flash unless she kept silent on their identities was another, slightly more viable option. But who'd out-bluff who?

"What are you thinking about?" Jinx taunted.

"How to get you to stay quiet about me and Nightwing," Red X retorted snidely.

"Hmm, what do you got for me?" Jinx asked invitingly.

"Save the charms for your boy toy," Red X answered harshly.

"Maybe I'll tell somebody about you, after all . . . Jason Knight. You and a certain . . . Dick Grayson."

Red X immediately extended the X-sword and held it at Jinx's throat. "You won't."

"Why? Gonna kill me?"

"Thinking about it, but that would get me more trouble than it's worth. And I'd rather not have a lovelorn speedster looking to kill me."

"Then what do you have on me?" Jinx jibed.

"What do I have?" Red X retracted the X-sword. "Frankly, I have nothing. There is nothing I can do to stop you . . . and nothing I can do except trust that, deep down, you're not still crooked enough to sell me and 'Wing out to save your own narrow ass."

"Wow . . ." Jinx let out a breath she hadn't even been aware she was holding. "You keep saying 'you and Nightwing.' Not too long ago, it would have been just 'you.'"

"What can I say? The man's grown on me." He walked away from Jinx, still carrying Videl, but paused to make one more statement. "And maybe . . . if you won't keep it to yourself out of the goodness of your heart, you'll keep it to yourself because if you sell Nightwing out, that brings a lot of heat down on you, too. Flashy-boy's never gonna trust you again, knowing you sold out a good friend of his. The Titans won't trust you, either, knowing what you did to the guy who's supposed to represent the best of them. The Titans are like family, and anybody who betrays family . . . is worse than scum."

* * *

Red X reached the infirmary and lay Videl down on the medical cot. He took care to strap her down, just to make sure she wouldn't be able to snap his neck as soon as she woke up. She might have been on their side for now, he might have been attracted to her on some perverse level, but he sure as hell didn't trust her. Plus, there was Violet to consider; girl was starting to grow on him, too, and if Raven wasn't just teasing him back there – her senses were good on people's emotions and desires – then maybe he was growing on her, too.

"Liked that little speech of yours back there," Videl remarked sardonically.

"Thanks for your seal of approval," Red X answered.

Videl looked down at her restraints. "Don't trust me? Or do you just like your women bound and helpless?"

Red X scoffed. "Whatever."

"If that's what you're into, I don't mind at all . . ." Videl purred. "I'll stay down like a good little girl."

"Nice try, but you'll probably squeeze me to death between your thighs . . . on purpose."

"Don't be like that, X . . . Jason . . ."

Red X audibly snarled, the distorters in his mask amplifying it to terrifying proportions. Of course, Videl being Videl, it merely made her smirk, her red eyes incandescent with dark desire. Red X stared into those eyes angrily, despite the stirring in his loins. "_You don't get to call me Jason."_

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away from Videl, who merely smirked at his retreating back. "It's not a good idea to turn your back on me . . . Red X."

* * *

End Notes: As you can see, there is going to be plenty of trouble on the way for Nightwing and company, much of it coming from within and some from without. Who is Seraph and what is her grudge against the powers of "darkness" besides her origins as an angel . . . or is it due to her origins as a human? Will Azrael be even more dangerous to the Titans than he is to their enemies? Who is Red X, really, and what connections does he have to Nightwing besides having stolen Nightwing's former identity? What else will the Titans come up against in their quest to retrieve the ring that Slade has stolen? For the answers to those questions and others, read on and thanks for getting to this point already.


	8. Could Ever Burn Like This

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 8: "Could Ever Burn Like This"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and the larger universe it inhabits belong to DC Comics, Time Warner, and other entities and persons that are not me. I make no money from this story and I only derive profit in the form of emotional satisfaction that someone has read it.

Author's note: In case you don't know, Seraph is the Linda Danvers version of Supergirl, only revamped in the vein of the Elseworlds Supergirl story "Wings," which features the Matrix half as a bona fide angel. If you're wondering why she opposes the idea of using the dark against the dark so much, it is largely because of her own rather traumatic experiences involving the dark. If you're wondering about Red X's true identity and what relevance it has to this story, you will see that soon enough. Your other questions will be answered as well. Anyway, let's begin.

* * *

Nightwing looked at Wonder Girl. "So . . . what happened with you and Titans West?"

"Nothing happened," Wonder Girl replied. "But after the last near-apocalypse, I realized that there needed to be a force specifically oriented in the ways of magic and mysticism to counter such threats."

"I guess . . . the Titans West are one short," Nightwing remarked. He smirked. "How's Superboy taking your absence?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wonder Girl asked, arching a graceful eyebrow.

Nightwing's smirk widened. "What do _you_ think it means?"

"I think Superboy is just lascivious enough that he will immediately be distracted by my sister-in-arms," Wonder Girl answered.

"You mean Cassie? She's taking your place with the Titans West?"

"Yes. I am absolutely certain that she is keeping him 'occupied,' so to speak."

Nightwing chuckled. "Sure. If it comforts you to think that."

Just then, he spotted Red X walking toward them, his hands hidden by his cape. As he approached, he saw one of Red X's hands exit the protection of his cape, reaching out toward Wonder Girl . . . and Nightwing didn't think he was going for her shoulder. The masked vigilante swallowed inaudibly, wondering if he should stop Red X or let the thief-turned-hero be hoist by his own petard, to borrow from Shakespeare.

_I say we let him do it,_ Rij'ze murmured.

_Why?_ Nightwing asked. _She'll tear him three new assholes!_

_Because it'll be fun to watch. _The psychotic giggle coming from Rij'ze was even more terrifying than Nightwing thought it would be. Certainly, it would have frightened a normal human into madness, but Nightwing was by no means a normal human. By the time Nightwing regained his bearings, he heard the distinct sound of Red X being smacked into a wall.

"Did he . . . ?"

Wonder Girl's face was flushed with rage. "The nerve of him!" She turned around and stalked toward Red X's prone form, at which point Red X got up and straightened himself.

"I guess you really do like it rough," Red X remarked with a lecherous smirk in his tone. "Wanna try the lasso?"

Wonder Girl just punched Red X in his skull-masked face, knocking him _through_ the wall this time. Unfortunately, that wall just happened to lead to Zatara's room. "Do you mind, X? Some of us are trying to rest."

"Don't blame me," Red X replied. "This happens to be Wonder Girl's idea of foreplay. For the record, I don't mind." He got up and dusted himself off, walking through the hole he'd made just as Zatara used his magic to reconstruct the wall.

Nightwing shook his head slowly, palming his face in dismay. _I told you it'd be fun to watch,_ he heard Rij'ze murmur to him.

_Yeah, if you like seeing your friends get slaughtered,_ Nightwing retorted with complete lack of irony.

"Red X . . . I knew you were a scoundrel, but I never thought you were that sort of scoundrel," Wonder Girl intoned furiously.

"Well, now you know: I _am_ that sort of scoundrel," Red X answered with unrepentant smugness.

Wonder Girl flew at him, only for Red X to seemingly vanish from sight. In truth, Nightwing knew that Red X had simply gone invisible while transporting himself at high speed to the other side of the room. When he reappeared, he flipped his buckle over, pulled out the cellular device, flipped it open, and entered the code 9-5-7-8, then pressed the "pound" key. He locked the phone into the slot and rotated the phone into place, forming the buckle.

"_ACCEL PHASE, ON._"

Thus began a high-speed chase between Red X and Wonder Girl, with Wonder Girl chasing and Red X fleeing. "Catch me if you can – ha, ha – fuck the law with my dick in my hand!" Red X taunted, stirring Wonder Girl's ire even further as she chased him.

Obsidian, concealed within a shadow, groaned. "What a freaking moron."

"He's not a moron, I think he just wants to die or something," Gemma offered.

Red X's flight from Wonder Girl took an interesting turn when he bowled over Starfire, although in his defense, she was moving way too damn slowly. "Uh, sorry . . ." Then he realized he had his hand on something very warm, very round, and very soft. With a mischievous smirk beneath his mask, Red X squeezed slightly, which prompted Starfire to shoot him off her with her optic starbolt. As it turned out, Red X's hand had been on Starfire's breast, which incidentally was half exposed by the top she was wearing.

Just then, he was caught by Wonder Girl, who had a look of triumph on her face. Red X just smirked beneath his mask and said, "Don't be too rough. I'm a fragile mortal male and you're a big strong Amazon warrior."

Wonder Girl smiled an almost feral smile. "Don't worry. I'll be gentle while I'm punishing you."

It was at that moment that Nightwing had caught up to Starfire, who had gotten up. "You all right?"

"Yes," Starfire replied with a blush.

Nightwing chuckled. "You remember when Blackfire said I was going to clean your filthy mouth out?"

Starfire's eyes glowed softly. "Do you really intend to do that?"

"Now that I think about it . . . yes," Nightwing replied. "And I know just the thing for it."

* * *

It was a short while later that Azrael, happening to wander by a guest room, curiously peeked through the gap between door and doorway and saw something most . . . well, "fascinating" wasn't the right word. "Disturbing" wasn't the right word, either. "Deeply motherfucking disorienting" was technically three words, but they fit rather well in this instance. The sight he was looking in upon was Nightwing "cleaning out" Starfire's mouth in rather truly pornographic fashion.

"Does that look like fun?" he heard Videl tauntingly whisper in his ear.

Azrael snarled and swung Soul Calibur at her, only for Videl to soundlessly dodge the swing and move behind him. "That witch might have drained some of my power, but she didn't drain nearly enough. But I'm not here to fight you, holy demon."

"Then what do you want?" Azrael asked. "Just to mess with my head?"

"That's quite fun, actually," Videl replied. "I like fucking with people's heads. It's quite amusing to watch their reactions."

Azrael growled and stalked toward Videl. "What are you planning here? What's your endgame?"

"My endgame? To serve my mistress, of course. To return to her what is properly hers. To offer her the heads of her enemies."

"And what about _you?_ What do _you_ want?"

"A good fight, a good fuck, it's all the same to me," Videl answered offhandedly. "Long as I get off, it's all good."

"You're quite the disgusting woman," Azrael snarled.

"And you're so fucking repressed for a homicidal 'warrior of God,'" Videl retorted. She sauntered toward Azrael, backing him into the wall. "How about it, Az? Bet you're cute enough behind that mask. And I've seen you fight . . . you're really hardcore . . . hardcore enough for a good screw, maybe."

By this point, Azrael had his back against the wall and Videl had her arms outstretched to entrap him on either side. "You . . ." he growled. "Get . . . away . . ."

"Why? You gonna hurt me? Kill me?" Videl taunted. She leaned closer to him. "Go ahead and try. I'll have fun, anyway."

With a scream of rage, Azrael lifted the crystalline sword Soul Calibur and slashed her with it, throwing Videl back. Azrael pursued Videl, slashing at her again and again with vicious speed and savage fury. Videl finally repelled Azrael with a blast of dark mystical force that Azrael nevertheless managed to deflect with Soul Calibur. With some distance between them, Videl shouted, "Seven Shadows, dark immolation!"

Changing into her demoniac empowered form, Videl stood tall and whole, her red eyes blazing brightly. "Come on, baby. Make it good."

Azrael charged, only to be stopped by Osiris's hand wrapped tightly around his blade. Videl, who had also moved to attack, was stopped by the current of divine lightning running through the arm that Osiris had outstretched to hold her back. "What's going on here?"

"This witch is not to be trusted!" Azrael snarled. "She will be our ruin!"

"Hey, don't look at me," Videl said. "I was just having fun."

"And what kind of fun is that?" Osiris questioned.

"The kind that makes me really, really happy," Videl purred in response. She smirked at Osiris. "You look like a tough guy. Bit of an innocent, too, I can tell. That's fine by me. I _like_ breaking in innocent boys."

"I'm not interested in people like you," Osiris bit out.

Videl faked a gasp. "Really? You're not? I thought all teenage boys were hot for a woman willing to strip them of that pesky thing called virginity!"

Osiris smiled slightly. "No thanks. I'm giving that to someone I'm actually in love with."

"And who would that be?" Videl asked.

"I haven't met them yet," Osiris admitted. "But I will . . . and that's whom I'll give it to."

"Cute," Videl scoffed. "You don't get out much, do you?"

"I get out plenty," Osiris answered.

"I mean when you're not 'saving the world.'"

Just then, Nightwing and Starfire came out of the room, both of them looking rather perturbed. "What's going on here?" Nightwing asked.

"Azrael and Videl were fighting," Osiris replied. "I had to stop them."

"Good thing you were there," Nightwing said, "but could you guys take it somewhere else and try _not_ to kill each other? We do have to work together if we're gonna stop Slade."

"What about Angelface?" Videl asked with a sneer.

"We'll figure her out soon enough," Nightwing replied.

Videl smirked at Starfire. "You missed a spot."

Starfire's tongue moved out of her mouth and licked away the speck of white at the corner of her lip. "Thank you, Videl."

"Whatever," Videl answered. "Hey, you wouldn't know where Red X is, would you? We have some unfinished business."

"He's being punished by Wonder Girl," Nightwing replied. "She didn't take too well to him groping her. I have no clue what he was thinking."

Videl giggled. "I'll have to check that out. Might give me some ideas." She sauntered away, turning her head back briefly to wink at Azrael, who bristled visibly at the gesture.

"Azrael . . . what happened?" Nightwing asked.

"She . . . is not to be trusted," Azrael hissed. "Know that, Nightwing."

"I do. _What happened?_" Nightwing interrogated.

Azrael paused, as though gathering his thoughts. When he began to speak, he did so hesitantly. "I . . . happened to see you . . . and Starfire – engaging in sexual relations of the oral variety. I was going to walk away, but Videl found me and started playing head games with me. I . . . I lost control."

"Intense emotion does awaken your more vicious side," Nightwing admitted.

Just then, Severin walked in. "What's going on?"

"Depends. Where were you when Azrael and Videl were throwing down?"

"With Raven," Severin answered.

Nightwing glared, as Rij'ze roared in his psyche. _I don't care whose son he is, he will not lay a hand on what is ours!_

"It wasn't like that, if that's what you're thinking," Severin said. "I had to make sure she wasn't angry at me for co-opting a human life. And at the same time, we were trying to figure out the deal with Seraph."

"You got anything?" Nightwing asked.

It was at that moment Raven materialized from a shadow portal. "Yes. Seraph is not a 'pure' angel."

"Rij'ze was talking to me about that," Nightwing said. "He thinks she's an angelic essence infusing a human body and partially overwriting a human soul."

"They're called Earthborn Angels," Raven explained. "Such angels are created when a 'pure' being fuses with a human soul 'completely' beyond redemption, saving that soul even when it seems like that soul is lost for good. The resultant gestalt can be a powerful force for good, employing the experience of the human element alongside the strength of the angelic element. The new being is not merely the fusion of the two prior entities; it is often something more than the sum of its parts, although both entities lose something of themselves in the process of the unison."

"So whoever the human half of Seraph was, she wasn't exactly the nicest person before the angel half found her," Obsidian remarked.

"That's an understatement," Severin answered. "You'd have to be well and truly damned before you could become an Earthborn Angel. And such a thing happens to be quite rare, as most angels give up on such people and let them fall into Hell, figuring they have it coming for rejecting the Presence's love."

"That's kind of cold," Nightwing observed. "Aren't angels supposed to be forgiving and charitable and merciful and all that?"

"Frankly, a lot of the angels that fell did so because they were hardcore misanthropes, 'kill all the filthy mud monkeys' kind of misanthropes," Severin remarked. "The Presence didn't like those angels insulting His favorite creation, so there was a fight and the next thing anybody knew, a lot of angels were being thrown out on their asses and cast into various netherworlds and hell dimensions."

* * *

At that moment, Wonder Girl came back with Red X's hands bound in her lasso. Red X's demeanor had changed somewhat, his head bowed in what seemed to be an expression of submission. Nightwing looked at Red X worriedly. "What did she do to you?"

"Taught him the art of loving submission," Wonder Girl answered.

"'Loving submission'?" Nightwing repeated. "Is that some kind of Amazon discipline technique?"

"Yes," Wonder Girl replied. "It teaches us to live in harmony with each other and with nature. Instead of trying to force our will upon nature, we let ourselves become one with it, we submit to its untamed beauty and passion."

"Sounds nice, but won't Superboy get mad if he finds out?" Nightwing asked.

"Why so concerned about Superboy?" Wonder Girl asked, her nostrils flaring. "Are you trying to set us up?"

"The idea . . . did cross my mind," Nightwing admitted.

"Well, Superboy is welcome to learn the joys of loving submission should he finally give up his indiscriminate pursuit of female flesh."

"Ok."

"And for the record, 'loving submission' transcends the physical and the carnal," Wonder Girl explained. "It is more a matter of the soul and the heart rather than the flesh."

"Yeah, she's right," Videl remarked. "It was kind of a bummer. I was looking forward to seeing X get violated into 'loving submission.'"

"You were going to masturbate to me being raped?" Red X asked.

"Way you were carrying on . . ." Nightwing muttered.

"Hey," Red X growled. "Nobody asks to be raped, and if they do, it's just a consensual fantasy."

"Gee, way to be PC," Videl grumbled.

"You're really fucked up, you know that?" Red X observed. "You're still hot as hell, but you're really fucked up."

"Thanks for the compliment," Videl preened with completely no sense of irony.

"Hey, wait, where's Violet and Kushier?" Red X wondered.

"Why so curious about the little thief?" Videl pressed her voluptuous frame against Red X's back, her breasts squeezing against the leathery fabric of his cape. "_I'm_ all the woman you need."

Nightwing's face remained completely impassive. Internally, Rij'ze was cackling in psychotic amusement. _It seems our illustrious thief has finally gotten himself more love from the feminine half of the race than he knows what to do with._

_Videl's gonna eat him alive. Poor bastard._

Rij'ze tittered insanely. _Yes, yes, poor bastard._

_You're enjoying this, aren't you?_

_Yes. I am._

Nightwing finally spoke. "Kushier's training Violet."

"Ooh, training?" Videl repeated.

Raven glared at Videl. "_So not_ what you're thinking of, you mad harlot."

"You have a lot of issues, don't you?" Videl remarked.

"Everybody does," Raven answered with a false nonchalance.

Videl let go of Red X and sauntered over to Raven, her womanly hips sashaying almost hypnotically. "Raven, Raven, Raven. It's really not a shame to desire something so gratifying . . ." By this point she was very much violating Raven's personal space and making Raven quite aware of her lack of physical stature in comparison to Blaze's servant. "Do you know why sex or violence is so gratifying? The brain triggers certain chemical reactions in the body when shedding blood or shedding virginity, which cause extremely pleasurable sensations. That's all. It's a perfectly natural feeling and there's no reason at all to be ashamed of it."

The dull silver blade Queen Crimson found itself pressed against Videl's throat. "_**Get . . . the fuck . . . away from her . . . NOW.**_" Accenting the threat was a glowing green fist pointed at Videl's head.

"No harm, you guys," Videl purred. "I'm just educating your lady here. She really needs to loosen up, and judging by your reactions . . . so. Do. _You._"

"You're a sociopath with no capacity for remorse or restraint," Raven retorted. With dripping sarcasm, she added, "Forgive me for not wanting to be as 'liberated' as you."

Just then, Nightwing opened the dragon's-head hilt of Queen Crimson, releasing a burst of silvery energy that sharpened the blade considerably. "_**Do you value your life, Videl?**_"

"What kind of question is that, 'Wing?" Videl asked.

"_**The kind I ask someone whose death I'm contemplating,**_" Nightwing answered. "_**Now. Answer the question.**_"

"I rather like my life," Videl admitted. "Why wouldn't I? I have the tools to get what I want and obliterate everything that gets in the way of getting what I want."

"_**What do you want? What is your endgame?**_"

"My endgame? A nice chunk of this dimension for me to rule over when I'm finished laying waste to Mistress Blaze's enemies."

"_**Would those include the other Fallen Lords?**_"

"Trigon was the first. Neron's next. Satanus will follow. Nebiros will join them, Karkull will fall, Eurynomos will be rent, and the First . . . will be the _Last._"

"I get it now . . ." Severin murmured. "All the unrest in Hell . . . Blaze is starting a civil war, isn't she?"

Videl smirked. "Yes. And you're all going to help."

"You've _got_ to be kidding," Nightwing snarled, his voice no longer being demonically amplified.

"She ain't kidding," Red X murmured grimly. "That's why you agreed to join us. You were going to use us to take down the other demon lords and then put us out of our misery as our reward for our help, weren't you?"

"Guilty," Videl admitted in singsong.

"Wonder Girl, I want you to do something for me," Red X requested.

"What would that be?" Wonder Girl asked.

"Untie my hands," Red X answered.

Wonder Girl unwrapped her lasso from Red X's hands, Red X flexing his fingers like claws. There was almost no interval between decision and action, Red X charging Videl with such speed that it nearly took her by surprise. Of course, the fact that he would attack her at all stunned her just enough that he'd managed to grab her and pin her to the wall.

"All a game, huh?" he whispered harshly. "Is that it? Just fucking with us until you get what you want, then you'll throw us away like used rags? That so?"

Videl giggled. "You didn't mind a little while ago."

"I mind now," Red X retorted, his voice sounding increasingly inhuman . . . and it wasn't just the voice distorter in his mask.

* * *

Just then, Nightwing's communicator warbled, forcing Nightwing to sheathe his sword and pull out the communicator. "Cyborg?"

"Hey, Wingman," Cyborg greeted. "We're gonna have a Titans West-Central-Mystics powwow."

"You mean . . . you're coming?" Nightwing asked.

"Yeah," Cyborg replied. "We just ran into Blood taking on an armored demon calling himself Nightmare, but said we knew him as Slade."

"We fought him, too," Nightwing admitted. "Slade somehow got his hands on an evil sword named Soul Edge and its powers made him even worse . . . but what does Blood have to do with this?"

"Remember when Slade came back working for Trigon and even more dangerous than he was before?" Cyborg asked. "Same thing happened with Brother Blood, although I don't know what demon he's working for and I don't know what he's planning. Kid Flash ought to reach you before the rest of us, although Superboy and Wonder Girl will be close behind. Beast Boy and I will be there soon enough."

"Thanks, Cy," Nightwing answered. "Looking forward to seeing you."

"Likewise, Wingman," Cyborg said. "Cyborg out."

"Hey, Jinx!" Gemma shouted down the hall, having overheard the exchange. "Your boyfriend's coming over!"

"Your boyfriend's right here," a young, somewhat cocky male voice spoke up from behind Jinx, with a red-gloved hand holding a bouquet of roses in front of Jinx. "Sorry I took so long, had to pluck these."

"You're sweet, Kid," Jinx remarked.

"Kid Flash," Nightwing greeted.

"Hey, Wingman," Kid Flash greeted after dashing down with Jinx to greet the others. "How's it going?"

Nightwing groaned. "I think I'm going to regret letting Cyborg get away with that nickname."

"They smell nice," Jinx whispered to Kid Flash, who smiled rather triumphantly.

Kid Flash had a messy mop of dirty blond hair, some of it hanging in his goggle-shielded eyes. He wore a skintight red tracksuit with silvery white sides and knees and a red lightning bolt in a white circle emblazoned on his chest. A red jacket with silvery white sides and accents completed the look. "What do you think? Pimping, huh?"

"You aren't gonna be pimping anybody if I give you a limp," Jinx retorted.

"You sure a jacket's practical for this sort of thing?" Nightwing asked.

"I wear a cloak," Raven offered. "Batman and Superman wear capes. So does Red X. You used to wear a cape."

"Point taken," Nightwing conceded.

"Besides, if Superboy and Cassie can get away with jackets, so can I," Kid Flash remarked. "We're the Trenchcoat Brigade, only with way shorter jackets."

Red X snickered, having roughly released Videl earlier. "I think I'm gonna like you, Kid."

Just then, two more teenagers showed up. One was black-haired and male, and the other was blond and female. The black-haired teen had broad shoulders and a well-defined musculature that was generously displayed by a skintight red-shouldered black suit with Superman's symbol emblazoned on the chest but on a black background. The lower half of the suit was a vivid red with slanted yellow lines on the outer thighs. Completing the outfit was a black leather jacket with Superman's shield emblazoned on the back and fingerless red gloves with slanted yellow lines on the cuffs. The blonde wore a chrome-shouldered black leather jacket over a deep red tank top with an Amazon eagle emblazoned over her (_not entirely unimpressive_) chest and tight knee-length denim shorts with a buckle resembling Wonder Woman's symbol and white stars down the outer thighs. A lasso similar to Wonder Woman's and Wonder Girl's rested on her hip and a pair of goggles rested atop her head.

Red X whistled. "Skinny little Cassie Sandsmark. You grew up. You filled out."

Donna Troy glared at Red X. "Don't even think about it."

"Who said I was thinking about it?" Red X asked. "I was just making an observation."

"You sound like a main character out of a hardboiled noir film," Cassie commented.

Superboy looked back and forth between the two Wonder Girls before settling on Donna. "Hey."

Nightwing looked at Superboy and Donna and smirked. "Hey. You two match."

"What do you mean, 'we match'?" Donna asked.

"You're wearing the same colors, black and red . . . black on top, red on the bottom," Nightwing explained. He looked at Superboy and Cassie. "And you two are wearing almost matching jackets." He smirked. "Something you wanna confess?"

Superboy and both Wonder Girls handled this taunt in differing ways. Cassie blushed and said, "No!"

Donna shook her head emphatically and glared at Nightwing. "What are you going on about now?"

Superboy just chuckled and said, "I started a fashion trend, man. If people wanna dress like me, that's their right. Free country, and I am about nothing if not truth, justice, and the American way."

"When do you think Cyborg and Beast Boy will arrive?" Starfire asked.

Superboy clicked his tongue when he looked at Starfire. "Babe, they should be here in a few minutes from now."

"It will be most pleasant to see our friends again. Do you not think so, Nightwing?" Starfire remarked.

"Uh-huh," Nightwing agreed.

"Hey, 'Wing," Red X whispered. "We need to talk."

"About?" Nightwing asked.

Red X made sure he was looking Nightwing in the eyes before he began to speak again. "Who I am."

* * *

End Notes: Ah, the dreaded and beloved cliffhanger! What will Red X reveal to Nightwing about his identity and their connection? What are Violet and Kushier doing? Why is Seraph so adamant in her opposition to the dark? Who are these demon lords that Blaze is waging war against? Which of those demon lords is Brother Blood working for and what is his/their agenda? What other servants of the Infernal Lords will arrive to challenge the combined Titans forces, and will those Titans be enough to stop them? Will the civil war in Hell spill over into the Earth plane, and if so, what devastation will it cause? For the answers to all of those questions, you'll just have to read on, but thank you very much for sticking with this as long as you have.


	9. Beginnings End, Endings Begin

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 9: "Beginnings End, Endings Begin"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and the wider fictional universe it inhabits belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers, not me. I make no monetary profit from this story, nor am I compensated in other ways by DC Comics for writing this. My only reward is the knowledge that you're reading this.

Author's note: Yeah, it seems things are going from bad to worse for the Titans. Granted, the arrival of old friends might turn the tide, but with Videl's revelation of her real reasons for allying herself with the Titans Central and Mystics, it seems things will get worse before they get better. With Brother Blood and even more demon lords in the mix, it seems that things will indeed get worse. What will that mean for the Titans, though, let alone the world at large? For the answers to that question, read on.

* * *

The man once known as Arthur Pendragon and now known as Jason Blood opened his eyes and rolled over slightly to see the immaculate sleeping face of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. He smiled gently at his sleeping lover, and a second later, her own sparkling blue eyes had opened, with a smile on her face as well. "Hello, Jason," she greeted. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," Jason admitted. "Did you?"

"Yes," Hippolyta answered, reaching out to stroke his face.

Jason leaned into her touch, with a contentment that was not felt by him alone; even Etrigan felt calmer when in Hippolyta's presence. Was that what love did for a man . . . even if he didn't really qualify as such? Did it soothe the monsters and demons festering deep in his soul? Did it quell the storms raging deep within his heart and leave behind a gentle lapping at the edges of his consciousness? After all this time . . . could this, whatever it was, bring them both the happiness they had long been denied?

Before the peace could last, Jason Blood heard the trill of his Justice League communicator in his ear. He sighed tolerantly and tapped his ear. "Jason here."

"_Jason,"_ Batman's deep growl issued from the communicator. _"You're needed back at the Watchtower."_

"Understood," Jason answered calmly, although with no small bit of disappointment that he would not be able to spend more time with Hippolyta before his inevitable departure.

Hippolyta smiled at Jason. "A warrior's work is never truly done . . . although I would say your friend needs to recognize that he cannot find peace strictly within himself."

Jason chuckled sadly. "For Batman, there can be no peace. So long as the world is still a place where others like him and his protégé will lose those they love to the senseless whims of Hades' messengers, he will not let himself seek peace."

"A truly sad fate for one as noble as your friend."

"Yes," Jason agreed as he dressed himself. Changing the subject, "Your daughter and Kal-El have been tiptoeing around each other rather awkwardly lately."

"They are both brave warriors, but not always as forward about their true feelings as they should be," Hippolyta remarked.

"Does that mean you think they would be good for each other?"

"I have seen the way she looks at him. And in spirit, they are quite similar. I believe they would get along quite well . . . if they'd tell each other how they felt."

Jason smiled, finished with dressing himself. He knelt before Hippolyta's bed and took her hand in his, kissing it softly. "I will see you soon, my Queen."

"And I you, my noble King," Hippolyta responded.

* * *

Jason let the Watchtower's transporters pick him up, situating himself in the Watchtower as soon as it was over. He walked through the Watchtower to find Batman, who was garbed in his standard dark gray-and-black body armor and pointy-eared mask. "Jason," Batman greeted.

"Batman," Jason greeted. "What's going on?"

"According to Morgana, there is a war in Hell between the various rulers of its component nether dimensions," Batman replied. "The Titans have gotten caught in the middle of that war."

"Does that include Nightwing's Titans?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Batman admitted grimly. "And what worries me even more is what the mystical division of the League will do to stop it."

Batman had a right to be worried; when Ares and Hades had nearly devastated the world, they had used Nightwing as a pawn, pitting him and his Shadowlord alter against the entirety of the Justice League to distract them all from their true plan. While the ruse had been figured out quickly enough, it wasn't quick enough to prevent the damage that had already been done, not least of all the revelation of the potentially apocalyptic nature of Nightwing's Shadowlord powers. The mystics in the League had wanted Nightwing permanently in a magically reinforced cage to prevent the monstrosity dwelling within him from ever escaping again, but the circumstances – having to stop Ares and Hades – had prevented that from happening.

Jason also knew he wasn't the favorite of the mystic division of the League, either, largely due to the fact that he derived much of his mystical power from being bonded to a demon. He also knew, despite his own misgivings, that Morgana wasn't their favorite as well, due largely to the fact that she was one of Morgaine le Fay's bastard children. Unlike Mordred, she had not followed Morgaine's evil path, mostly seeking to amuse and entertain herself. While that sort of whimsy could prove dangerous with the strength of the magic she commanded, Jason knew that she wasn't nearly the monster her mother had been, or that the League's mystics would think she was. No, she was just an impulsive, fun-loving child, for the most part.

Speaking of the devilish immortal child herself, a squeal of "Uncle Jason!" was Jason Blood's only warning before he was tackled by an electric blue blur. The blur turned out to be a girl with electric blue hair and jade green eyes, both mystically colored and the electric blue of her hair being accented by darker streaks of blue. She wore a flowing black gown with detached purple sleeves that covered the backs of her hands.

"Hello, Morgana," Jason greeted with a smile. In many ways, Morgana was the child he had once dreamt of having with Morgaine. "How are you doing?"

"Pretty good," Morgana answered. "Are you and Aunt Hippolyta gonna get married yet?"

Jason chuckled and ruffled Morgana's hair affectionately. "We're already married. In our heart of hearts, we are one."

"Oh," Morgana said. "Like that?"

"Yes, although we could always have a special ceremony that would officially declare me her consort, if that's what you want."

Morgana smiled brightly. "Sure, Uncle Jason. Can I be the flower girl?"

"You're a little old for that . . ."

Morgana glared. "I . . . am not . . . that old."

"Sure you aren't," Jason answered tolerantly.

Batman watched Jason and Morgana with a faint smile, reminded of his time with Dick Grayson when he'd just been starting out as Robin. Dick had awoken something in him that he'd thought he'd never feel again, something that was as close to joy as he'd ever gotten since that fateful night. He'd felt . . . for the first time, like he had a family again. Unfortunately, he had to interrupt; there was much at stake and he needed Morgana to be serious.

Clearing his throat briefly, the Dark Knight spoke. "Morgana, who are the players in this civil war in Hell?"

"Blaze, Satanus, Neron, Trigon, Karkull, Eurynomos, Nebiros, and the First of the Fallen," Morgana replied. "The last three are the Blood Trinity, the triumvirate overlords of Hell. As far as I've been able to gather, the Blood Trinity is fighting the others to retain their lordship."

"Karkull," Dr. Fate spoke. "Another Shadowlord, like what dwells inside Nightwing. I've fought him before."

"Oh!" Morgana exclaimed. "You mean Ankoku Seiryu?"

"His name is Rij'ze," Batman spoke.

"Yeah," Morgana admitted. "But here's the deal; in Eastern myth, there are four gods, four guardian beasts that dwell in the North, the West, the East, and the South. Here's something not a lot of people know, though; the Four Guardian Beasts have counterparts in Hell, the Four Sentinel Demons. For Suzaku, the Vermillion Bird, there is Kurenai Suzaku, the Crimson Phoenix dwelling in the blood and flames. For Seiryu, the Azure Dragon, there is Ankoku Seiryu, the Darkness Dragon dwelling in the realms of living shadow. For Byakko, the White Tiger, there is Koorime Byakko, the Ice Maiden Tiger dwelling in the frozen wastelands of Hell. For Genbu, the Black Tortoise, there is Kurokawa Genbu, the Black Sea Tortoise dwelling in the desecrated oceans of Hell."

"And two of those beasts have been locked inside human vessels," Batman murmured. "Kurenai Suzaku is inside Slade Wilson . . . and being strengthened with the powers of Soul Edge. Ankoku Seiryu – Rij'ze – is inside Nightwing."

"And then there is Brother Blood," Dr. Fate added. "I sense the mark of the Blood Trinity on him. As well as that Trigon has been removed from the picture."

"By whom?" Batman asked.

"Angelic power," Dr. Fate replied.

"Like Zauriel?" Batman surmised.

"Yes, like Zauriel . . . but different," Dr. Fate answered. "Like angelic power fused with a human spirit."

* * *

Back on Earth, in the combat exercise room of the Titan Mystics' headquarters, Kushier stared at Violet, purple eyes meeting dark lenses. "Come at me," she commanded.

Violet attacked with a fast palm thrust, only for Kushier to deflect the palm thrust and step behind Violet. Kushier grabbed Violet's outstretched arm and twisted it behind her back. Violet's response was to thrust her free arm out in a sweeping chop that would have clipped Kushier in the head if not for Kushier's quickness. She grabbed Violet's outstretched arm and twisted that in front of her, pinning it to her body. With a surprising force of will, Violet sprang upward, swinging her legs up and over to flip out of Kushier's grip, grabbing Kushier's shoulders and using her grip to slam Kushier to the ground.

"How's that?" Violet asked.

"You're improving," Kushier replied. "You've made much progress in such a short time."

"I have to learn fast in my profession," Violet remarked.

"As a thief?" Kushier asked.

"I'm a street kid. No other way of surviving and still being independent."

"What happened to your parents?"

"Don't you know that already? Weren't you being your usual stalker self? They're _dead._ Deader than doornails; if you were watching me all this time, why didn't you do something?"

"Because you would have been in even more danger. The chance that whatever latent powers reside in your blood from your heritage would awaken from my nearness to you would draw the Fallen and the Hosts to us and you would be dead."

Violet scoffed. "I can take care of myself."

"Against angelic assassins?" Kushier questioned. "Or demonic death dealers?"

Violet glared at Kushier. "If you were so worried . . . why didn't you step in sooner?"

"Because you would have been dead sooner. For all that it is worth, and it is worth very little to you I am certain, I'm sorry."

Violet looked away sharply, straightening up. "You're right. It's not worth very much at all."

Kushier stood up as well. "Could you . . . look at me? With your naked face?"

"And why should I do something like that? You already know my face."

"Yes. But I would like it . . . if I could see your eyes, one more time."

Reluctantly, Violet pulled off the gasmask-like portion of her mask that covered her lower face, exposing a smooth, rounded jaw and pale lips. She then removed the dark-tinted goggle portion of her mask, exposing blue eyes and letting her red hair flow freely. "Happy?"

"Getting there," Kushier replied. "But that isn't your real problem, is it?"

"Then what is?" Violet sneered. "Tell me, O great ancestor."

"You're lonely," Kushier answered. "That was why you accepted Nightwing's offer. Not merely for your own profit, but maybe to find some emotional fulfillment as well. You feel, for the first time in a while, that there is a place where you can be not only useful, but valued, _loved_ even. Am I right?"

"You're full of shit," was Violet's brutal retort.

"Look me in the eye and say that," Kushier retorted calmly.

Violet stared Kushier in the eye, and to her own surprise, what came out of her mouth was a choked sob. Kushier gently reached out and pulled Violet into a comforting embrace, with Violet's head resting on Kushier's chest. Kushier stroked Violet's hair lovingly as Violet finally stopped holding back her sorrows, whispering comforting words in her ears.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Titan Mystics' headquarters, Nightwing and Red X had found an isolated spot to talk. "So, you're finally ready to tell all, huh?" Nightwing remarked. "This ought to be good."

"Oh, it is," Red X answered. "You have no idea."

"Let's get it over with," Nightwing said. "We'll take off our masks at the same time?"

"Sure," Red X agreed.

Nightwing reached up to grasp the edge of his domino mask, starting to slowly peel it off his face. Red X reached behind his head and undid the clasps keeping his mask in place. Both black-clad young men pulled their masks off, revealing their faces. Nightwing's face was boyishly handsome, with teal blue eyes staring out from it and a certain air that suggested a spirit younger than his years. Red X's face was similarly handsome, but in a rougher, almost harder sense, with icy silver-blue eyes staring out from that face and an almost-faded diagonal scar across his forehead and the bridge of his nose. The other significant difference between them was their hair, with Nightwing's being black and Red X's being bleached blond with darker roots.

Despite the scar and the bleached hair, Nightwing recognized Red X. "Jason? Jason Todd?"

"Jason Knight now, technically," Red X amended.

"What happened to you?" Nightwing asked.

"That's a long story, Grayson," Red X answered. "I'll try to keep it as short and sweet as I can. Basically, after Wayne took you in, I ran away from the orphanage. Sucked there, anyway. Survived on the streets, stealing stuff to fence it. Got a good eye for the really good stuff, the stuff I could fence for just enough for one night in a cheap motel. Then this Goth lady found me, real pretty, scary pale, liked the black makeup and dresses, and she took me to her place. Gave me a warm bed to sleep in, some hot soup, and some decent clothes.

"I was just gonna leave after I'd gotten some sleep, but she insisted that I stay with her and her squeeze, that I'd be safer with them than on the streets. She was a nice enough lady, so I figured I'd stick around. She was good to me, she and her squeeze. Taught me a lot about her trade, too."

"And what was that?" Nightwing asked.

"Theft, larceny, burglary, that sort of thing," Red X replied. "I got good at it. Really, really good. Spotted you one time, running around in those green tights like some kind of elf. For a guy who takes himself so seriously, you seriously had one fruity-ass fashion sense."

"It was modeled after my Flying Graysons uniform," Nightwing retorted. "You remember, don't you? My parents? We were in the circus together? They were killed by some thugs because they refused to pay protection money to the mob? Any of that ringing a bell for you?"

"You're not the only one who lost parents, Grayson," Red X rejoined. "And hell, at least you knew your mom. The woman I used to call 'Mom,' the one who died? Turned out she wasn't my real mom, after all. Never even knew that woman."

"I'm sorry . . ."

"No harm. I wouldn't have told you, anyway."

"So why tell me now?"

"Because you and I . . . we might be in serious trouble."

"Why do you say that?" Nightwing inquired.

"Jinx," Red X spat. "She knows who we are. You, me, she knows our identities outside the masks."

Nightwing sighed. "Should have figured she'd figure it out sooner or later. She might be 'reformed,' but she still has her underworld ties."

"That, and you were kind of obvious," Red X added. "Orphaned acrobat becomes the ward of a rich playboy, and then almost a year later, some kid in green tights is hopping around on the streets with Batman punching out crooks? Only someone without a brain wouldn't get it."

"That's why Batman acts like a vapid idiot outside the cape and cowl. So people don't think to make connections like that."

"Smart, but some people are savvy enough to look past the surface. It's part of their job description, after all."

"But why do you think we're in trouble from Jinx?" Nightwing asked.

Red X shook his head. "Jinx might be 'reformed,' but she insinuated – hell, more like outright told me – that she's holding on to our identities as a bargaining chip in case she gets into _real_ trouble, the kind she can't fight or smooth-talk or charm her way out of."

"She wouldn't do that."

"Of course she wouldn't. For one, who's to say the kind of people who'd make her confess that sort of thing wouldn't kill her after hearing that? For another, if she were to survive, the other Titans would never forgive her, not even Kid Flash. She'd be on her own, and she'd be right back where she started when Flashy-boy first found her."

"You've thought this out."

"Of course I have. But that's just me looking at it from a rationally self-interested view. What happens if Jinx says 'fuck it' and goes for it, anyway?"

Nightwing looked at Jason's forehead, at the scar that slashed across the bridge of his nose. "Where did you get that scar from?"

"Foster mommy's squeeze. Turned out Mommy was going behind his back on some things, and he didn't take it too well. He went batshit, no pun intended, tried to kill her, and swiped my face good with his knife when I got between him and her." He smiled bitterly. "Remember when I said, 'Some guys don't like playing the hero'? That's what I was talking about."

"Who were they, your foster parents?"

"Natalia and Anton Knight. Philanthropists, scientists, and explorers. Never lacked for anything, at least not for long. Blood money, yeah, but not everybody gets the luxury of a clean living."

"Doesn't make it right."

"Yeah, but it's how some of us survive," Red X answered. "And you've done a little too much dirty dealing yourself to criticize."

"That's another thing," Nightwing brought up. "How did you get into the Tower?"

"Got a Mother Box from Natalia, she said it was some kind of trans-dimensional gateway. Figured I'd put it to good use and get the fuck out of there before Anton returned for another go."

"But . . . your mother . . . ?"

"_Foster_ mother. Not that it matters anyway. Loved her just like a real mother. Couldn't stay, though; Natalia didn't want me getting killed trying to protect her from Anton. After all, if it hadn't been for her, he wouldn't have stopped at just my face that last time. Said it was too dangerous for me to be in Gotham, and I remembered you'd gone to Jump and put together a superhero team there . . . Kept wondering why you weren't tapping Starfire; she was certainly ready and willing."

Nightwing shook his head amusedly. "Simple. I was an obsessive little crime-fighter. Evil was ever-present, so good had to be ever-vigilant. No rest, no pleasure, no fun for Robin."

"And now look at you," Red X remarked. "Three hotties all willing to put up with each other – well, as much as they can, anyway – to bang you on a nightly basis. You're a lucky son of a bitch, but I told you that already."

"How are you feeling?" Nightwing asked.

"Weird . . ." Red X replied. He removed his right-hand gauntlet . . . revealing that his arm all the way up to his elbow had taken on the appearance and texture of cooled lava, black as pitch with blood-red veins and clawed fingers. "Huh. What in fresh hell is this?"

"I think we're gonna have to talk to Raven about this," Nightwing suggested.

"How about Gemma? Rawr."

"Sure, we can bring her in, too, but try not to think so much about 'tapping' some nubile woman. That's what got you into trouble with Videl."

Red X shuddered. "I don't know what I was thinking, with her. Bitch is straight crazy."

"We should put our masks back on," Nightwing advised. "We're not necessarily among friends here."

* * *

The young men did exactly that and then they walked back out into the open to find Raven and Gemma. When they did, though, they found them with Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and a girl dressed in skintight black with dark gray chain-mesh making up the sides of her costume. Dark gray, almost black, metal guards covered her shins and feet, along with her forearms and elbows. A silvery metal collar wrapped around her neck with shoulder support not entirely unlike what Starfire wore as part of her outfit, but with industrial rivets. She wore what seemed to be an ebon quarter-helmet that concealed the upper left side of her face, leaving her green right eye, long silvery-white hair, and full red-painted mouth exposed.

Cyborg looked at Nightwing and Red X. "Hey, you guys. Say hello to our newest teammate."

"Hey, Rose," Nightwing greeted.

"Hey yourself," Rose greeted back with a smirk. "Long time, no see, huh?"

"You know her?" Red X asked.

"Yeah," Nightwing confirmed. "We helped her back on the straight and narrow, isn't that right, Rose?"

"Yeah," Rose answered.

"What can you do?" Red X asked.

Rose's answer was to draw a pair of brass knuckle-style grips from her belt and press a hidden button on each, extending barely visible longsword-style "force blades" from them. A split second later, one of those force blades was swinging at Red X's head for a decapitation strike. Red X ducked quickly, only for Rose to sweep his feet out from under him via a low kick. Red X planted his normal hand on the ground and flipped back onto his feet while twisting to kick Rose, who blocked it with the grip-hilt of her force blade. Despite blocking it, though, the force of his kick did force her back by some inches. A feral smirk formed on Rose's face.

"You're good," she remarked.

"So are you," Red X answered. "And too cute to boot out of bed."

Rose snickered. "Charmer."

"I like to think so."

Raven looked at Red X darkly. "It seems I wasn't able to completely cure the effects of you using that ring."

"Oh, you mean this?" Red X answered, pulling his mutated arm out of his cape. "What is it, anyway?"

"Legend has a name for that," Raven replied. "The Right Arm of the Damned. It's an external manifestation of the taint in the soul of a human who taps into the power of a weapon or item of demonic origin."

"I thought the lefties were the ones cursed by the Devil," Red X joked.

"Which hand did you put the ring on?" Gemma asked.

"My right," Red X answered.

"There's your frigging answer. Now maybe you'll think next time before you put on something like that," Gemma jibed.

"Well, sorry . . . not all of us have innate magical powers to fight crazy-ass demon swordsmen with," Red X retorted.

"My powers ain't innate," Gemma corrected. "I taught myself how to do that shit."

"Not very well, though," Raven remarked.

"Oh, fuck you," Gemma retorted.

Raven smirked tightly. "I'm taken."

"I saw," Gemma answered. "He any good?"

"_Better_ than 'good,' not that it's any of your business."

"We have worse things to worry about right now," Nightwing said. "Sure, Red X's arm is somewhat scary to look at, but it might come with some useful abilities." He looked at Rose. "What happened to your eye?"

"Daddy did that," Rose explained. "Piece of his sword went flying into my eye."

"That's not good," Raven said. "Soul Edge can reproduce itself by infecting others with shards of itself, allowing its power to grow inside them and ultimately corrupt them to suit its ends."

"That's why it's covered up," Rose explained. "Wonder Priss gave it to me so I wouldn't go 'even crazier than I already was.' Tch."

"You sure you'll be up to fighting Blood and your dad?" Beast Boy asked.

"Whatever, pointy ears," Rose answered. "I could take them both without either of my eyes."

Beast Boy chuckled. "Badass."

"I like to think so." Rose smirked, and then doubled over, clutching her concealed left eye and wincing in pain.

"Rose?" Nightwing asked, moving to her side. "What's wrong?"

"It . . . it's . . ." She turned her head and stiffened. "Him . . ."

The man she was staring at was none other than Azrael, who was gripping Soul Calibur so tightly that his hands would have bled if they weren't gauntleted. Soul Calibur itself was generating crystalline armor as reinforcement for his body, as Azrael's fiery gaze made it quite clear he was ready to attack. "_All traces of the Cursed Blade must be expunged,_" he snarled, steeling himself to attack.

Rose straightened to her feet, a dark smile on her face and her hand reaching up to knock her quarter-helmet off, revealing a lurid metallic red orb in place of her left eye. "_**Bring it.**_"

The other Titans present tensed, ready to intercede to stop Azrael and Rose – or rather, the powers of light and dark currently gripping their minds – from killing each other. "This is not going to be pretty," Gemma grumbled.

"Are you kidding?" Videl scoffed from across the room, an evil smile on her face. "It's going to be beautiful."

* * *

End Notes: There you have it. You now know the story behind Red X's identity, the Justice League is getting ready to enter the game, and now Azrael and Rose Wilson are ready to fight it out? Holy crap, this just keeps getting more and more exciting, doesn't it? Everybody will make it out in one piece, though . . . or will they? To find out for sure, you'll have to read the next chapter, but thank you very much for getting as far as you have right now. Hope you had fun.


	10. If Trouble's What You Seek

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 10: "If Trouble's What You Seek"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans belongs to the larger DC Universe, which in turn belongs to DC Comics. The Soul swords belong to Namco. I have no stake in either except as a fan and sometime consumer of their works. I also am not compensated for this story in any manner aside from hits and reviews.

Author's note: The Evil Seed has begun to take root. The secrets of Red X have been revealed. The truth of Violet and Kushier's relation has been exposed. The League will soon step into the mix, but will it be for the better . . . or the worse?

* * *

Azrael lunged at Rose, swinging Soul Calibur at her, only for Rose to twist under the crystalline blade and kick Azrael in his armored stomach. Azrael flew backward, but rolled onto his feet, supporting himself with Soul Calibur. Just as he was preparing to attack, Rose flashed in front of him, thrusting her force blades at him in a scissoring motion. Azrael slipped beneath the blades and moved to slash Rose with the bladed fins on his gauntlets, only for Rose to grab his forearm, puncturing her hand on the bladed fins. With a demonic smirk, she threw Azrael into the farthest wall available.

"Do it, baby!" Videl shouted. "Kick his ass!"

Azrael rose to his feet and charged Rose with Soul Calibur extended to impale her. However, he was stopped by a sudden weight on the blade of Soul Calibur that made it impossible for him to lift. Said weight turned out to be Nightwing, balanced on Soul Calibur as though it were nothing more than a high beam in a gymnastic competition. With a simple twist of his body, Nightwing threw himself into a cartwheel that ended in a kick to the side of Azrael's head.

Rose was being held back by the two Wonder Girls, Donna and Cassie. "Ain't that nice? I need two to stop me. Guess we know who the more dangerous one is after all."

"Aren't you a little ill-equipped for dick measuring?" Gemma sneered.

"Screw you," Rose sneered.

Nightwing glared into Rose's mismatched eyes. "Settle down. That's Soul Edge talking, not you. Don't let it control you."

Rose gritted her teeth, closing her eyes as she forced the evil presence inside her back into its cage. When she opened her eyes, her expression was devoid of malice. "Sorry . . ."

"Yeah," Cassie mumbled. "Bet you are."

"Oh, fuck yourself, Wonder Priss," Rose retorted. "Or get Superboy to do it for you; God knows you're gagging for it, anyway."

"Both of you quit it," Cyborg said. "This isn't the time."

"So what do we do now?" Red X asked. "As much as I'd love to see a catfight . . . we do have serious shit to worry about."

"Serious shit is what we're all going to be in soon enough," Gemma remarked. She arched her eyebrow at Red X. "That arm of yours is kinda sexy."

"You think so?" Red X asked.

"Yeah," Gemma affirmed with a teasing smirk.

"Gee, thanks."

"You're welcome."

"You guys suck," Videl grumbled. "I wanted carnage."

"Of course you wanted carnage," Azrael snarled. "You always want carnage. It's part of your nature."

Videl smirked cruelly at Azrael. "You know me well, don't you? But doesn't the same lust for bloodshed run through your veins, too? Doesn't your holy blood yearn for the brutal annihilation of us so-called evil ones?"

Azrael hissed. "More than anything. But what separates me from mad dogs like yourself is that I can control my bloodlust."

"You weren't controlling it very well when you ran into Rose," Videl taunted. "Hell, you were trying to kill her before Nightwing kicked your silvery ass."

"What's the point of your game, Videl?" Obsidian asked, materializing from shadow.

"My game? Breaking hearts. Destroying lives. Slaughtering innocence. Murdering souls. That is my game." This was said with a completely unrepentant smirk on her face.

"You monster!" Red X yelled, thrusting his Right Arm of the Damned at her. Immediately, a psychokinetic distortion extended from that mutated arm, grabbing Videl and yanking her toward Red X. Taking it in stride, Videl kicked Red X, only for Red X to block the kick and retaliate with another psychokinetic distortion that caused him to apparently vanish from sight. To those with sufficiently enhanced perceptions, Red X had not vanished but simply moved faster than a completely normal human eye could see, grabbing Videl and twisting her arms around, one behind her back and the other trapped against her front.

"Ooh, I like this," Videl taunted. "Lovely new powers, lover."

"I'm not your lover. Not now, not ever," Red X hissed.

"'Not ever' is such a bold thing to say. Can you predict the future?" Videl taunted.

"My future . . . is not with you," Red X answered, roughly throwing her away from him.

Videl merely clicked her tongue off the roof of her mouth. "What a shame. I was really looking forward to having fun with you. You do seem like my kind of guy."

"And what kind of guy would that be?"

"A completely amoral son of a bitch who's out for himself. But it seems like you have a little too much of a moral compass to be that kind of guy. Oh, well. Not like you can't change."

Red X snarled and was about to attack Videl when Nightwing stepped between them, the Vampire Sword at Videl's throat. "_Enough._"

"And what are you gong to do with that dull little fruit knife?" Videl taunted.

Queen Crimson screamed angrily in Nightwing's thoughts. _**I want her blood. I want to bathe in it, drink in it, breathe it in. Make my wish come true, my wielder.**_

_Hmm, I suppose a little "lesson" wouldn't do that much harm,_ Nightwing thought. A second later, the Vampire Sword was plunged into Videl's jugular and the sword drank deeply from the fount of Videl's veins. The demonically empowered girl collapsed from the lack of blood in her veins, said blood slowly being absorbed into Nightwing's blade while the others looked on in shock, horror, or (in Rose's case) awe.

After Videl was taken into a containment ward, Starfire, Raven, Donna Troy, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Red X took Nightwing aside. "You . . . have not been yourself lately, Nightwing," Starfire started.

"I'll say," Beast Boy remarked. "Since when were you into shutting people up by stabbing them in the throat?"

"Won't kill her," Nightwing answered. "Missed her vocal cords, so she'll still be able to talk when she recovers."

"You weren't like this before," Donna said. "Is Seraph right? Is the dragon corrupting you?"

"Or is it that sword?" Raven surmised. "How can you be certain that it's not corroding your will?"

"Because I am still able to recognize my will," Nightwing replied. "But Queen Crimson was insulted. She demanded repayment for that disrespect."

"It's a sword, you nut!" Cyborg exclaimed. "Man, what the hell's gotten into you? Videl's done nothing so far except run her big mouth and need I remind you . . . X attacked her!"

"Huh, good point," Red X admitted. "That wasn't one of my brighter moments."

"I'm starting to wonder if these demon power-ups are worth it," Beast Boy asked. "Sure, you and Red X can kick more ass than anybody this side of the galaxy, but how long is it going to be before you start beating up _anybody_ who crosses you, and not just the people who actually do stuff to deserve it?"

"What Beast Boy's trying to say is that 'power corrupts,' especially when you're not careful about how you use it," Raven added.

_**Maybe I did get a little . . . more upset than warranted,**_ Queen Crimson mused. _**I don't want to cause trouble between you and your friends, my wielder.**_

_Thanks,_ Nightwing answered. Out loud, "You're right. I haven't been as careful as I should have been."

"Same goes for me," Red X agreed. "As much as that bitch deserves a serious thrashing . . ."

"She turns on us . . . which she will, sooner or later . . . you can give her all the thrashing your little heart desires," Raven offered.

"That'll be nice," Red X remarked.

"You think you can turn that arm back to normal?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, you look kinda like the lead in Inferno Crier, which is pretty badass and all, but . . . it's kinda scary, too."

Raven took Red X's right hand in hers and a black aura spread around his right hand, dispersing to reveal normal flesh. "Wow . . ." Red X uttered. "You just get more and more impressive the longer I know you, huh?"

"Flatterer," Raven answered. "It's a glamour spell. For all intents and purposes, your right arm will be completely normal until you start tapping into its powers."

Jus then, Nightwing's communicator went off and Nightwing answered. "Nightwing here."

"_Nightwing,"_ a deep rasping voice spoke from the other end, and the communicator flashed the image of Batman.

"Batman. What brings you?"

"_A contingent of Justice Leaguers wants to assist you,"_ Batman replied.

"Them again?" Nightwing asked.

"_There are some people among them we can trust,"_ Batman assured. _"They will be carefully watching the more dubious ones."_

"Sure. When are they coming?"

"_The transport spell is already underway. They should be arriving . . . in six seconds."_

* * *

Precisely six seconds later, Zatanna Zatara, Jason Blood, Morgana le Fay, Doctor Fate, Captain Marvel, and Black Alice had emerged within the headquarters of the Titan Mystics. Morgana's immediate response was to tackle into Azrael, bowling him over in an enthusiastic hug. "And how is my shiny cuddlebear?!" she squealed.

"Your shiny cuddlebear is perfectly fine," Azrael groaned, sounding more like an awkward teenager than a fearsome holy warrior.

"Morgana, get off him," Zatanna ordered with a weary sigh.

"But he's cuddly!" Morgana protested.

"I would hardly think 'cuddly' a good word for someone like him," Jason remarked, although an amused smirk rested on his face.

"He can be cuddly," Red X remarked. "And, he's still a virgin, so there's no chance of womanizing."

"Um . . ." Captain Marvel stared awkwardly at Red X.

"Tch," Black Alice scoffed. "Overgrown boy scout."

Doctor Fate palmed his helmed face. "This . . . well, anyway, we should really be attending to business. The Infernal Overlords are fighting for control over hell, including my old foe Karkull . . . who comes from the same dark realm that spawned the dragon jailed inside Nightwing's body. These overlords have agents on Earth; Trigon had Psimon, Blaze has Videl, whom I sense is currently in your custody, Neron has one of the numerous fools who bargained with him, and the Trinity of Blood has Brother Blood."

"Then there are the Soul Swords," Jason added. "Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Slade has Soul Edge, although fragments of the sword can empower and corrupt others, and Soul Calibur . . . may not be quite as good as its holy nature would suggest."

"Not a big surprise," Black Alice remarked cynically. "Self-righteous God-freaks have never been as good as they'd like us to believe, whether they come from this hellhole or from the shining city in the sky."

"Regardless, the inherently corruptive nature of Soul Edge makes it more of a threat than Soul Calibur, even if Soul Calibur is not quite trustworthy," Dr. Fate added.

Zatanna looked at Red X warily, who looked right back at her. "See something you like, Toots?" Red X asked, in what had to be a parody of the archetypical hard-boiled film noir protagonist.

"Not really," Zatanna answered.

"Burn!" Rose chortled mockingly.

"And I don't see what you're so happy about," Zatanna answered. "Given your lineage, I doubt you're going to turn out an upstanding citizen."

Rose glowered at Zatanna, who was being stared at by Captain Marvel. "That was uncalled-for, don't you think?" he remarked.

"Maybe," Zatanna mused, "but better cautious than not."

"I don't think 'bad blood' necessarily makes 'bad people,'" Captain Marvel went on. "Morgana has Morgaine le Fay for a mother, and she's hardly the epitome of evil."

Zatanna scowled, while Morgana tackled Captain Marvel into a hug. "You _do_ care, you big red cheese!" the perennially childlike girl squealed gleefully.

Captain Marvel blushed at the physical contact. "Um, yeah."

Meanwhile, Nightwing looked at Black Alice. "I don't think we've been introduced. I'm Nightwing."

"Black Alice," the darkly clad sorceress answered. "And believe me, I know all about you."

"What makes you say that?" Nightwing asked suspiciously.

_You're fucking stupid when it comes to women,_ Rij'ze snarled in Nightwing's thoughts.

_What, is she flirting with me?_ Nightwing asked.

_Yes, and I'm so happy you only needed a little bit of outside help to grasp that,_ Rij'ze sniped.

_You're in a bad mood today, aren't you?_ Nightwing remarked.

_Something's been bugging me about Slade ever since he first showed up with his new hellfire powers, and I finally know what._

_What?_

_When I awakened . . . your body and soul were intended to be a permanent prison for me. The only thing that could have awakened me was another of my kind . . . and judging by the nature of the hellfire that Slade intended to kill you with, it's Anj'ze._

_Anj'ze?_

_The Crimson Phoenix, dweller in the blood forge of Hell. How he came to be infused within Slade is . . ._ Rij'ze began to laugh. _Shit! I'm not the only one that bastard Merlin did this to! All of us are probably trapped in some miserable prison of flesh and bone! If Merlin weren't already dead and gone . . . I'd see to that._

Nightwing contemplated this for a moment before speaking again. _You're a dragon. Anj'ze is a phoenix. Wait, is this something like the Four Gods in Eastern mythology?_

_Yes, something like that,_ Rij'ze acknowledged. _Khr'ze is the White Tiger, ruler of the frozen nether. Bij'ze is the Black Tortoise, dweller in the poisoned oceans of the underworld._

_Is there a fifth?_ Nightwing asked. _Some versions of the stories of the Four Gods have a fifth, Huang Long, the Yellow Dragon._

_And in other versions, there is no fifth, just a void in the center. We do have a fifth . . . and she is the strongest of us . . . She is Yui'je, the Green Gryphon, dweller in the Void that awaits all things, living and nonliving alike, at the end of days._

_Is she . . . sealed, too?_

_It's likely._

_What would happen . . . if all five of you were to reunite?_

Rij'ze chuckled darkly. _Either we'd kill each other, or we'd kill this world . . . or we'd do both._

"You know, 'Wing, when a fine woman wants your attention, it's usually a good idea not to ignore her," Red X remarked.

Nightwing turned to Red X, and then caught Black Alice's scowl. "So who were you talking to in there?" she asked.

"My prisoner," Nightwing answered dryly.

Zatanna looked at Nightwing with some measure of distaste, which was answered by two pairs of eyes aiming warning glares at her. Those two pairs of eyes belonged to Raven and Starfire. Black Alice just whistled coolly upon seeing the silent exchange between the women. "So what's the damage?" she asked.

"It's not your concern, Black Alice," Zatanna replied.

Just then, Violet and Kushier came in. "I'm to presume you're the Justice League?" Kushier deduced.

"Yes," Doctor Fate spoke up. "And you might be?"

"Kushier, former warrior of the Lion Host of Heaven."

Doctor Fate looked at the vast amount of black Kushier wore, and looked back up at Kushier's face. "Did you fall?"

"Yes," Kushier replied, "though I assure you that not every angel who falls from grace becomes a psychotic monster seeking only death and destruction."

"So what'd you do?" Black Alice asked. "Bet it was something really bad. Indulge a little too much in the pleasures of the flesh? Got a little too smite-happy on someone?"

Violet glared at Black Alice. "I don't see what the hell you have to worry for."

"We'd better bring all our teams in on this," Cyborg said. "They'll want to hear."

Zatanna found very little to like about the people the Titans were willing to accept into their ranks. Petty thieves, wannabe con artists, wards of super-powered immortal butchers, daughters of psychotic criminal masterminds. Add to that the fact that many of those people showed no real signs of remorse as to what they'd been or where they'd come from . . . And they were the ones the League was entrusting to follow in its footsteps?

Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, as Gemma Masters glared at her. Donna Troy had to put a hand on Gemma's arm to keep her from saying anything she'd regret later. Gemma contented herself with seething internally. Cassie Sandsmark and Rose Wilson still scoped each other out of the corners of their eyes, Cassie with wariness and Rose with amused irritation. "So where the fuck do we go from here?" Rose asked.

"It's a reasonable question," Donna answered. "We are talking about taking on Hell's forces and those they've subcontracted the work out to. That's not going to be easy by any means, and we have to take them out before their not-so-civil war spills out into our plane."

"How do we do that?" Superboy asked.

Just before the question could be answered, Rose clutched her Soul Edge-infected eye, her lovely face twisting in a mask of agony. "Damn it . . ."

"You can feel him, can't you?" Nightwing asked.

"Yeah," Rose hissed.

"Can you tell where he is?" Captain Marvel asked.

Her "normal" eye widened almost insanely. "He's fighting Brother Blood . . . out on the boardwalk."

"Man . . ." Superboy uttered. "Why'd it have to be the boardwalk?"

"You don't like boardwalks?" Cassie asked.

"Uh . . . it's not that," Superboy replied somewhat evasively.

Nightwing spared himself a brief smirk before getting serious. "Let's go."

* * *

By the time the combined Titans and League forces had made it to the boardwalk, it was a scene of infernal chaos full of the screams of the suffering. Nightwing looked at everyone. "Anybody who's decent with healing and barriers, help the civilians still here get as far away as possible. The rest of you . . . Slade and Blood are going down."

Brother Blood turned to look at the assemblage, a cruel smile on his face when he saw Cyborg and Jinx. "Ah, my prodigal students . . . so good to see you again."

Cyborg pointed his Sonic Cannon at Brother Blood. "Too bad the feeling's entirely one-sided."

"Do you mind?" Slade asked. "You're interrupting."

Nightwing unsheathed the Vampire Sword. "Too bad. You'll have to make time for us! Titans, go!"

No sooner had the word "go" escaped his lips than Kid Flash was attacking Slade with a flurry of hyper-speed punches from all sides. Slade managed to repel Kid Flash with a swing of Soul Edge, which was followed by an arc of hellfire that threw the teen speedster back. Nightwing and Azrael clashed swords with Slade, Vampire Sword and Soul Calibur going against Soul Edge. With another swing of Soul Edge, Slade forced Nightwing and Azrael back, while Starfire and Blackfire peppered Slade with green and purple barrages of starbolts.

The Wonder Girls, Captain Marvel, and Osiris fought Brother Blood, who had brought enough mystical might to bear to keep on fighting them despite their vast physical advantages over him. Supporting the four were Cyborg, Beast Boy, Superboy, and Kid Flash, keeping Blood on the ropes. Just then, Blood generated a wave of telekinetic force that threw all of his opponents back.

"_Gone, gone, the form of man. Rise the demon, __**Etrigan!**_"

With a blast of hellfire, Etrigan made his move, striking down Brother Blood. Unfortunately, Brother Blood had protected himself via telekinetic shield and was now retaliating with infernal power of his own. Etrigan defended himself ably, but the power Brother Blood was bringing to bear was more than even Etrigan could shrug off. Just then, storm clouds gathered in the night sky, with thunder booming and lightning flashing.

"_Kiri!_" Morgana shouted, a bolt of lightning coming down and striking her in the heart. Morgana absorbed the lightning bolt's energy, channeling it into every cell in her body and synchronizing it with her own bioelectricity. Supercharged, Morgana attacked Brother Blood, her very strike overloading the circuitry of his cyborg parts. Roaring in outraged pain, Brother Blood lashed out with psycho-electric force, only for Morgana to evade his attack and beat him savagely, her fists a blur as they struck him again and again. Finally, she delivered a high kick to his chin and followed that up with a series of repeating high-speed kicks from different angles.

With Brother Blood down, Morgana breathed heavily. "No . . . no . . . no . . ." She began to run for the edge of the boardwalk, apparently intending to jump into the rushing waters.

"What's she doing?" Superboy asked.

"_**She overloaded herself, and unless she defuses, she's going to take out an entire square mile, which will most certainly kill most of you here,"**_ Etrigan replied.

As a sphere of electricity began to take form around Morgana, she had leapt off the edge of the boardwalk and dived into the rushing waters below. Rising bubbles and a bright flash of light were the only indication of her presence within the water. Of course, the force of the explosion was such that it had caused the water to rise . . . along with Morgana's body after the explosion had died down.

"_**Morgana!"**_ Etrigan shouted, jumping over after his unofficial charge.

Brother Blood laughed cruelly. "So much . . . for that whelp . . ."

Donna glared at Brother Blood and lifted him up to eye level. "You're going to explain some things, right now. Like just what do your masters want so badly here that they're going to turn to you? And what do you hope to gain from this, anyway?"

"Like I'm going to tell you that," Blood sneered.

"I think you will," Cassie answered, tying her lasso around the cyber-psycho. "Because if you don't answer our questions truthfully . . ."

"What is your pathetic little lasso going to do to me?" Blood taunted.

"This lasso was given to me by Apollo, the Sun God," Cassie explained. "It channels his light . . . and the light can burn. Don't you know that?" As she spoke, the lasso began to glow an intense golden color, and Blood screamed.

"Do you want to talk now?" Donna asked.

"You think you'll win over this world?" Brother Blood taunted. "Foolish! Evil is the natural state of the world! Has been ever since the first murder was committed! You think you'll change that?!"

"_Shut up,_" a cold voice whispered, and Blood was stabbed in the head with a fiery golden energy sword . . . that had not come from either Wonder Girl.

Meanwhile, Nightwing, Azrael, Red X, Videl, Rose, and Violet were still fighting Slade. "It's a surprise you're still fighting this, Rose," Slade remarked. "I wouldn't have expected you to resist this long."

"Shows how much you know!" Rose snapped, slashing at him with her force blades. While she managed to cut his armor with one of her blades, the other was blocked by Soul Edge.

Red X and Videl attacked Slade together, performing a dual punching attack that managed to crack Slade's Soul Edge-formed armor. Slade staggered back, glaring furiously at the two. "You two . . . are going to suffer."

Videl merely smirked. "Bring it on, bastard."

Slade charged Red X and Videl, only to be blocked by Azrael, Rose, and Nightwing. With a blast of holy fire, Azrael swung Soul Calibur at Slade, who countered with a blast of hellfire from Soul Edge. The two antithetical energies clashed briefly before intertwining and shattering together in an explosion of light and flame that would have blinded anyone directly looking into it. Azrael and Slade charged through the explosion to attack each other, clashing Soul Swords.

At that moment, Red X and Videl vaulted off Azrael's shoulders for a double flying kick to Slade's chest and head. This time, their attacks had come with such force that it had chipped off another piece of Soul Edge . . . which went flying. The shocked cry from Starfire let them know just whom that piece of Soul Edge had hit, prompting Azrael to turn and find Nightwing clutching a broken sword . . . and his body slowly being covered in quasi-organic metallic ebon.

"Damn it!" Red X shouted. "What just happened?"

"Soul Edge infected someone else," Azrael whispered.

"_SLADE!!_" Nightwing screamed, the quasi-organic ebon sheath hardening into twisted armor with an almost asymmetrically shaped helmet and a thin jade blade extended for the purpose of killing the object of his wrath. Slade attempted to block Nightwing's assault, but Nightwing was moving too fast for him to entirely block. Nightwing zigzagged around Slade, slashing him every time he passed. _"Is this what you wanted? For me to be like you? Because if this is it . . . then I gotta say . . . it's not as bad as I thought it'd be. I'll send flowers to your grave."_

Raven and Zatanna, who had reluctantly worked together to help the remaining innocents flee this charnel house with their lives intact, had come back to find a figure in twisted black armor viciously tearing into Slade with a thin jade blade. "That's . . . that's . . . Nightwing," Raven uttered, horrified at the evil aura she felt coming from him, horrified at the thoughts of bloodlust pouring into her head through their empathic connection.

"And maybe this time things will be done the way they're supposed to be," Zatanna murmured coldly.

Raven glared at the sorceress, her eyes glowing white. "You're _not_ killing him. Or doing anything else you're doubtlessly thinking about doing to him."

Just then, they were halted by Seraph. "He is mine to deal with now," the angelic being spoke.

* * *

End Notes: All right, so you know more about Rij'ze than you did at the beginning of this story. Red X and Videl are working quite well together considering X hates Videl, but did they just make things worse? Considering that Nightwing is now mad with Soul Edge-fueled bloodlust . . . that's a strong maybe. Will Seraph and Zatanna have to put him down, or can Nightwing be reached in time? For the answers to those questions and others, read on.


	11. Black Surge, Massacre Prince

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 11: "Black Surge, Massacre Prince"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, the comic on which it's based, and the larger universe that comic series inhabits belong to DC Comics and Time Warner, not me. Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are products of Namco, not my invention. Most everything else belongs to me or to a friend of mine who came up with it.

Author's note: Now things have gotten really, really bad. Nightwing is possessed by a shard of Soul Edge and driven into a killer rage that has also amplified his powers drastically. With the Justice League's Division of Magic apparently gunning for him, along with a warrior angel whose roots and origins are still unknown, it is to be seen just what happens to Nightwing. Can he reject the power of Soul Edge or turn it against the evil forces it intends to twist him into a servant for, or will he have to be put down? For the answers to those questions, read on.

* * *

The breastplate of Nightwing's new armor vaguely resembled a ribcage, tarnished silver against a black background. Bisected and vaguely spiky guards covered his shoulders, while vented guards covered his thighs and calves and guards with hornlike protrusions covered his knees. A tarnished silver codpiece covered his pelvis, while vented guards covered his arms and ridged pads covered the backs of his gauntleted hands. His face was now entirely concealed by a helmet with vented sides and a vaguely asymmetrical top edge, while his eyes were covered by a visor shaped like a wicked M.

"_Slade . . . you've been a pain in the ass for far too long,"_ he whispered menacingly. _"I wouldn't mind so much if you'd limit it to me, but time and again you've seen fit to endanger the people I love just to force me to play your twisted games. Well, now it's time for you to play my game, and the name of the game is . . ."_

Nightwing dashed past Slade, and Slade felt another crack in his armor, a crack that was beginning to leak blood. "You . . ." he snarled.

"_The name of the game is pain."_

With an enraged roar, Slade swung Soul Edge at Nightwing, who agilely ducked under it and spun to slash Slade with the thin jade blade he now held. Slade merely jumped over the blade and brought Soul Edge down with the intent of splitting Nightwing in half. Nightwing barely managed to dodge and stab Slade with the jade blade.

Slade snarled. "Your Vampire Sword, I presume."

"_So clever. And yes, that is her. And she is very unhappy with you."_

"What the hell is he talking about?" Beast Boy asked.

"When Rij'ze's power corrupted the sword Zauriel gave Nightwing, it also granted that sword a measure of sentience," Raven replied. "It has become its own unique entity and personality . . ." She declined to add, "One that's become very attached to Nightwing."

"_You . . . are unworthy . . . of Soul Edge,"_ Nightwing hissed, grabbing Slade's sword arm and breaking it with brutal ease, forcing him to drop Soul Edge. Immediately, Nightwing pulled the transformed Vampire Sword out of Slade and picked up Soul Edge, which changed form into a black broadsword with red veins running through its blade and a blood-red eye at the base of the blade. _"Time to die."_

"You first . . ." Slade snarled, throwing hellfire at Nightwing, who crossed the Vampire Sword and Soul Edge to deflect and toss aside the attack.

"_Nice try,"_ Nightwing taunted. _"My turn."_

"NIGHTWING!" Seraph screamed, launching herself into a corkscrew kick that caught him in the chest. As Nightwing staggered back, Seraph glared at him. "I cannot allow you to continue down this path. Either surrender the Cursed Blade, or prepare to die."

"_How about . . . you die, angelcakes?"_ Nightwing retorted, lunging at Seraph with both swords. Seraph grabbed both blades and sent a charge of holy energy through them to attack Nightwing. With a roar of hellish rage, Nightwing ripped both swords out of her hands and slashed her multiple times in the space of a single second.

"Anybody have popcorn?" Videl asked.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Red X asked. "He's going to kill her!"

"Yeah, I know," Videl answered with a blissful smile. "Isn't he so fucking awesome?"

Kushier transposed herself between Nightwing and Seraph. "You will have to contend with me if you wish to take her life."

"Don't . . . think you're doing me . . . any favors . . ." Seraph snarled to Kushier.

"I'm not," Kushier answered. "I am saving Nightwing's soul. Were it not for your reflexive fear of the dark, you'd be doing the same thing. Lion Host Confrontation Armor, on." Immediately, the leonine black armor formed over Kushier's body, augmenting her combat abilities and hopefully shielding her from the worst of Nightwing's assault.

Nightwing crossed the Vampire Sword and Soul Edge again, his armor having mutated further upon acquisition of Soul Edge. The breastplate now had red highlights with a sickly green oval orb in the center of his chest. The other parts of his armor had also taken on red highlights, while his helmet had taken on red accents and the visor had mutated into sickly green eyepieces that burned with bloodlust.

"_Come on, then,"_ he taunted.

"Heavenly Lion's Roar!" Kushier shouted, channeling her holy energy into the form of a spectral black lion that charged at Nightwing. Unfortunately for her, Nightwing sliced through the spectral lion with both swords while lunging at Kushier, who blocked his slashes with her gauntleted hands. With a mighty roar, she used his swords as leverage to throw him, only for Nightwing to twist in midair and land on his feet.

"_Peels,_" Zatanna whispered to Nightwing.

Nightwing tilted his head, then began wavering, as though he was losing consciousness. Just as his head dropped, his arms spread out with both swords out. "_Nice try, Miss Zatara._" He flashed in front of her, one sword at her throat and the other at her stomach. "_But not nice enough._"

"Batman might be blinded by the fact that you're his protégé, but I'm not," Zatanna retorted. "You're too dangerous to live, and I'm going to do what should have been done from the start. Fate, hold him!"

Dr. Fate cast a restraint spell on Nightwing, which manifested as mystical chains that emerged from out of nowhere to bind him, taking care to press his arms against his chest so he could not use his swords to attack. Zatanna stalked toward Nightwing, her mouth open to speak . . . when a red X taped her mouth shut. With rage flashing in her eyes, she turned to Red X.

"Sorry, babe," Red X said. "But that's my bro, and you know what they say about bros."

"Do you realize what you're doing?" Doctor Fate asked. "Nightwing is too dangerous now. He has to be stopped."

"And he will, but you're not going to kill him or lobotomize him or any fucked-up thing like that!" Red X snapped. "You fucking hear me?"

"That goes for us, too," Cyborg added, Starfire, Blackfire, Beast Boy, Raven, and the Wonder Girls beside him. "Once a Titan, always a Titan. And Titans look out for each other to the end."

Nightwing struggled fiercely in his chains, but the chains held fast . . . until wisps of hellish purple energy began emanating from him. The wisps grew thicker and more voluminous, until an explosion of hellish black-and-red energy ripped Nightwing free of his chains. _"Much better."_ As he stalked toward Slade, ready to finish him off now that he had Soul Edge and the Vampire Sword in his possession, Nightwing was suddenly tackled by Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Starfire, Blackfire, Red X, the Wonder Girls, and Rose.

"_Get . . . the hell . . . __**off me!!**__"_ Nightwing screamed, attempting to force them off him through a burst of dark power.

"No," Starfire answered. "We will not let go of you. We love you far too much to let this evil sword kill the man we know you are."

Raven reached into Nightwing's mind through their empathic link and found Nightwing chained by an oppressive darkness, a darkness that took the shapes of Slade and Nightmare. The two gripped his arms, leaving him helpless to do anything but watch as his body rampaged about, under the control of Soul Edge. Not only were his arms bound, the darkness was creeping up his legs to form a virtual cocoon around him.

Within Nightwing's mindscape, projections of Starfire, Blackfire, Red X, Beast Boy, and Cyborg emerged. Blackfire spoke up first. _"Get the hell off our man."_

Slade and Nightmare turned to the assembled Titans and attacked them, leaving Nightwing to slowly be consumed by his own darkness and the darkness of Soul Edge. _"We don't have time for this shit!"_ Red X snarled, unleashing the Right Arm of the Damned in a vicious punch to Slade's masked face. Beside him, Cyborg shot Nightmare in the chest with dual Sonic Cannons.

Raven, Starfire, and Blackfire moved to Nightwing. _"Come on, baby. You can do better than this,"_ Blackfire said, gripping his shoulders tightly. _"You're stronger than this. Way stronger than this."_

Nightwing looked at Blackfire sadly. _"It's probably best you get away from me. As far away as you can . . . before I . . ."_

Blackfire slapped Nightwing with a starbolt-charged hand. _"Damn it, Night, weren't you listening?! You're stronger than this! You gonna let some sword boss you around?!"_

Just then, Nightwing heard Donna asking him a question . . . "Who are you?" For some reason he could not quite comprehend, he was compelled to answer . . . and answer with the truth he knew, deep in his soul.

"I . . . am Dick Grayson, son of John and Mary Grayson. I am Nightwing, leader of the Teen Titans and heir to the Dark Knight. I am the lover of Komand'r, first princess of Tamaran who learned that she could be loved, of Koriand'r, second princess of Tamaran who taught me passion, and of Raven, the daughter of Trigon who rejected the evil inside her and fought for the light. As I . . . Dick Grayson, Nightwing . . . reject the evil inside me . . ."

Immediately, bluish light radiated with impossible brightness from Nightwing's astral form . . . and from his real body, shining through increasingly numerous cracks in his Soul Edge-granted armor. The Titans who had tackled Nightwing got off him, although the Wonder Girls kept him bound in their lassos. The armor began to separate from his body, while the blue light turned a dark indigo color, in the sense of Nightwing's true darkness reasserting itself over the cursed darkness of Soul Edge. Finally, the dark indigo fire pushed the armor off him entirely, leaving behind Nightwing's standard costume.

At that moment, Doctor Fate removed the X-gag from Zatanna's mouth and turned to look at Nightwing. "It's . . . incredible . . ." he whispered.

"I'll say," Zatanna agreed. She started to smile. "Maybe . . . just maybe . . . I was wrong about him."

Black Alice whistled. "Gotta say, you're quite the catch, 'Wing."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nightwing asked.

"All these guys were willing to die for a chance that you might actually listen to them," Black Alice replied. "You've gotta be something special."

"Not really," Nightwing demurred sheepishly. "That's just what people who love each other do when the people they love are in trouble."

"And humble, too," Black Alice commented.

Etrigan came forward, carrying a somewhat unconscious Morgana. _**"You are . . . every bit the man Batman believed you would grow to be. He would be . . . quite proud if he saw you now."**_

"Will you guys please stop embarrassing me?" Nightwing asked. "It wasn't me who did all that." He smiled slightly as he looked at Donna, Starfire, Raven, and Blackfire.

* * *

"Hey, what happened to Soul Edge?" Beast Boy asked.

Azrael looked at the Cursed Blade, its red veins gone and its "eye" changed into a death's head with a multitude of curving arrows extending from its sides and stopping at the bottom edge of the blade. "Soul Edge's evil has been repressed," he uttered, "but it will not stay that way forever. The only way for that to happen is for it to be near its counterbalance." He walked up to Nightwing and handed him Soul Calibur.

"Soul Edge should be destroyed," Seraph stated, having healed from her wounds and wanting another go. "It is too dangerous to let its existence continue."

"Possibly, but there is a principle in Eastern tradition called yin and yang," Jason Blood answered, having switched with Etrigan. "Yin is the cold, feminine darkness. Yang is the warm, masculine light. They may exist opposite each other, but they also exist dependent on each other. A world of only light or only darkness would be a stagnant world, but light and darkness together transform the world. Where you find one, there is often a shard of the other within. That is why those who use power sourced from the darkness can fight for the forces of good and servants of the light can fall from grace."

Seraph looked questioningly at Jason Blood, who simply smiled and spoke again. "You know this better than most, Matrix. You bonded yourself to a human whom even you believed to be beyond redemption because you believed her life deserved to be spared. Even though you didn't recognize what it was, you sensed that there was a kernel of light inside her that could be nourished and nurtured, to bring her soul back from the brink of damnation."

Everyone looked at Jason, startled. "No wonder she felt wrong," Nightwing said as he held Soul Calibur and Soul Edge. "She was really an angelic spirit intermixed with a human soul."

"Yes, that is correct," Seraph admitted. "My name is Matrix, and this form belongs to the girl whose life I now share."

"This girl . . . does she still exist at all inside you?" Cassie asked.

"Where I end and she begins, I do not know," Seraph acknowledged.

* * *

"As much as I hate to interrupt this heartwarming moment . . ." Slade started to say, pure sarcasm in his tone. ". . . you still have a fight on your hands."

"I should warn you, Slade," Nightwing responded. "You're still outmatched. Just you, against all of us? You're screwed."

Slade tilted his head, as though smirking. "You really are confident, aren't you?"

Seraph lunged at Slade, a sword of fiery golden light aimed for his heart. Slade merely grabbed her outstretched wrist and squeezed brutally, as though trying to crush her wrist. Seraph grabbed Slade's wrist and swung herself up into a kick to Slade's masked face that was forceful enough to shatter his mask. Seraph followed it up with a series of bicycle kicks performed while hovering in midair, only to be stopped by Slade trapping her primary leg between his forearms and using the leverage to toss her. Seraph flipped in midair, her angelic aura forming into wings and sending her shooting like a bullet at Slade.

Slade was not daunted by this attack, as he slid under Seraph and moved into a jump kick to her stomach. Seraph rolled with the kick, twisting to land on her hands and feet in a battle-ready crouch. Just then, Slade straightened up, allowing his face to be seen . . . and he was surprisingly handsome. His hair was an extremely pale shade of blond, almost white, and cut very short in the back while a thick fringe up front covered his right eye, leaving only an icy blue eye exposed. He had a sharp nose, and his lips were thin and set in an almost flat line that only curved in one corner, as though he were barely concealing his amusement, or contempt, or both. A neatly trimmed goatee, just as pale as the hair on top of his head, decorated his chin.

"Surprised?" Slade taunted, looking specifically at Nightwing. "Were you expecting me to look as I did when my face was first exposed to you? I told you then, I was incomplete."

Nightwing looked at Slade. "At least I can finally put a face to you, you bastard. And once I figure out who you are, that's going to be the end of it."

"Even if you were to figure out my dirty little secrets . . ." Slade answered. "You still wouldn't have a clue about me."

Nightwing brandished the Soul Swords, smiling darkly. "Really? We'll see." There was virtually no pause between words and actions; one millisecond after Nightwing had finished speaking, he slashed at Slade with Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. Slade dodged Nightwing's slashes and swept his leg out to trip Nightwing, only for Nightwing to jump over it and twist into a kick to Slade's unmasked face. Slade blocked Nightwing's kick and repelled him with a burst of hellfire.

To Nightwing's surprise, a pair of gentle hands he didn't recognize caught him. "What the . . . who?"

"_It is I, your sword,"_ the gentle voice whispered. _"Regina Roz Aprins, at your service always."_

Nightwing turned and saw a beautiful woman who seemed to be made almost entirely of red. Her skin was a pinkish shade of red, while her eyes were a much darker shade of red and her even darker red hair was tied in a braid that went down to her hips. She wore a red vinyl half jacket over a black corset-like vest with red laces and stitching and red vinyl pants with black laces up the legs. Her feet were encased in black platform heels, adding to her already considerable height.

"Regina?" he asked. "How . . . I thought . . ."

"_Soul Edge only destroyed my physical substance,"_ Regina replied. _"My spirit is always with you. Always. I am your weapon, your right hand, your sword . . . forever."_

The plain devotion Nightwing heard in her voice almost made him cry. "Thank you . . ." he whispered.

"_You are welcome,"_ Regina answered. _"Now . . . shall we kick his ass?"_

"Yeah," Nightwing agreed.

Regina faded into red mist that wrapped around Nightwing's sword-holding arms and seeped into both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. As red-and-dark indigo energy lashed around him, Nightwing stood in a combat-ready pose. Slade smiled tauntingly at Nightwing and spread his arms out.

"One free hit," he said. "That's all you get, and if you can't take me down in that move, you're a dead man."

"It's a trap!" Cyborg shouted, but Nightwing had already attacked Slade, slashing him multiple times in the space of one second with both the Cursed Blade and the Spirit Sword.

Slade panted from how badly he'd been wounded, but he seemed to be smiling, while the fringe of hair covering his right eye had been pushed away, revealing a hellish orb of crimson energy where an eye would be. The smile turned just as demonic as his right eye and madness seemed to burn in his left eye. "Not bad, Nightwing. My turn."

Slade attacked Nightwing, shooting hellfire in conjunction with his physical assaults. Even if Nightwing was able to dodge Slade's fists and feet, he would still have to block the infernal powers Slade was putting behind his attacks. "Two can play at that," Nightwing said, answering Slade's hellfire-boosted attacks with sword slashes augmented by the powers of both Queen Crimson and Rij'ze.

"Heavenly Lion's Charge!" Kushier shouted, leaping over Nightwing and descending to punch through his midsection with a fist coated in dark energy. The dark energy exploded through Slade's back, and when Kushier withdrew her hand, Slade was bleeding severely from his midsection.

"The Lion Host was infamous in Hell for their ferocity in battle," Slade remarked. "The Fallen would often comment that the Lion Host was just one bad day removed from being just like them. I see it holds true even today."

"You're talking a whole bunch of shit for a man who just got ripped open," Nightwing retorted. "Just what the hell's keeping you going, anyway?"

"You don't already know?" Slade asked. "I thought your houseguest would have told you already."

"Anj'ze, the Crimson Phoenix of the Sanguine Hells," Nightwing replied. "Am I right?"

Slade smiled. "You are. Not that it's gonna buy you any extra seconds of life." He lunged at Nightwing, his hand reinforced with hellfire as he slashed at Nightwing with it. Nightwing trapped Slade's forearm between his swords, only for Slade to twist into a kick that caught Nightwing in the side of the head. Nightwing moved back, the kick having come with enough force to make him bleed, but that was quickly healing.

Immediately, the Wonder Girls, Superboy, the Tamaranean sisters, Captain Marvel, Black Alice, and Etrigan moved to attack Slade, who acrobatically evaded and countered their assaults. With a single uppercut motion, he sent a wave of hellfire flying at Superboy, who shielded himself telekinetically. Captain Marvel called out, "Shazam," which summoned a bolt of divine lightning that Captain Marvel tackled Slade into the path of. Cassie trapped Slade in her lasso and channeled the power of Apollo through it, burning him with divine fire, although unfortunately Slade countered it with an intense wave of hellfire, freeing himself in the process.

Starfire and Blackfire leaped into the air and came down with a drop kick and a descending punch, respectively. Unfortunately, Slade caught both their attacks and contorted himself to kick them both. Raven attacked Slade telekinetically, although Slade sliced through everything she threw at him with his hellfire-charged hand. Etrigan breathed hellfire at Slade, only for Slade to slice through Etrigan's attack just as he sliced through Raven's attacks.

"Cut through this!" Jinx shouted, aiming a barrage of entropy waves at Slade.

"Gladly," Slade answered tauntingly, and countered with a slicing wave of hellfire that did in Jinx's entropy magic. Kid Flash attacked Slade with a barrage of hyper-fast punches, building up speed and force with each hit until he whirled into an uppercut that threw Slade into the air.

"Yeah, that ought to do it," Kid Flash scoffed. He turned to Jinx. "You all right?"

"Yeah, Kid," Jinx replied.

"That's probably not the end of him," Red X remarked. "Slade's a slippery bastard."

Indeed, Red X was proven right when Slade came back for another go. Videl smiled cruelly at him. "You still have my mistress's ring. I'm going to get it back."

"You're welcome to try," Slade challenged.

Videl dashed into a vicious hyper-speed attack on Slade, punching him thousands of times in the space of seconds. While the blows did stagger Slade, they didn't finish him, much to Videl's annoyance as she kept punching. Finally, Slade caught her fist and backhanded her to the ground with such force that she skidded along that ground for some distance. Slade leaped into the air and came down with a hellfire-charged fist, ready to plant it in Videl's head, only Videl had rolled aside to evade the punch.

Videl rotated on her hands and contorted herself for a kick to Slade's stomach. Slade absorbed the force of her kick and grabbed her ankles, swinging her into a throw that sent her flying. Videl simply flipped and hovered in midair before launching herself toward Slade, who caught her outstretched arm and tossed her. Videl twisted in midair and came back around for a vicious kick that dislocated Slade's shoulder. Slade merely relocated his shoulder and threw a hellfire-charged punch at Videl, who countered with a punch charged with dark lightning.

The two punches collided, generating a shockwave so powerful that it forced them both back. Red X dashed in, punching Slade with his Right Arm of the Damned and knocking him back with the power behind the punch. Slade skidded backward, and Red X dashed behind him to throw a punch at the back of his head, only for Slade to move out of the way of the punch and deliver a hellfire-charged uppercut to Red X, knocking him down.

Red X rose to his feet and the red veins and claws in his demonic hand began to glow. He thrust his Right Arm of the Damned out and Slade was pushed back by an invisible force, to the point of being knocked off the boardwalk and into the water. Red X straightened up and looked at his arm, flexing the claws. "Well, that was interesting."

"My hero," Videl purred, draping herself on Red X.

"Get off me," Red X snarled.

"Aw, what's the matter, don't like being touched?" Videl asked coyly.

"Not by you," Red X retorted harshly.

"That's a shame. You and I would make such a fine couple . . . and make very fine babies, too. I hope they have your eyes."

"I'm going to be a bachelor forever. No marrying, and no kids. And certainly neither with you."

They were interrupted by Slade leaping out of the water, glowing with hellfire, and launching himself into a flying kick aimed at Red X. To the surprise of Red X, Violet had dashed in front of him to take the hit, pushing him and Videl away just before the kick could strike either of them. The kick came with such force that Violet fell back a great distance and when she landed, she did so harshly tumbling until a final stop at which she was virtually motionless.

"VIOLET!" Kushier shouted.

Red X stood stock still, shocked at just what Violet had done. Even Videl wore an expression of naked surprise, showing that something had gotten through the fog of her infernal lusts. "She . . . I can't believe she just did that!" Videl exclaimed.

Kushier stalked toward Slade, naked anger in her body language. As she moved toward Slade, Slade moved toward her with a sardonic smirk on his face, as though he were amused by the response he'd elicited with his act. Once they'd gotten sufficiently close to each other, Kushier lashed out with fists engulfed in fiery black energy, which Slade was able to bat aside. Kushier jumped up and kicked Slade in the chest with both feet, knocking him down but regrettably not out.

Slade flipped onto his feet and delivered a roundhouse kick that Kushier blocked with a chop. Undeterred, Slade lifted off with his other leg and delivered a kick to Kushier's armored head. While the kick did stagger Kushier, it did not stop her. Her aura flared a bright black-and-gold and formed into the shape of a spectral lion that brutally attacked Slade. As a finishing move, the spectral lion grabbed Slade in its jaws and threw him into the air. Kushier ran through the spectral lion, reabsorbing it, and used its power to launch herself into the air and deliver multiple kicks to Slade as they descended. She finished with a somersault that ended in a heel drop that brutally knocked Slade to the ground.

Kushier landed on her feet before Slade. "I'm going to see to it that you suffer for what you did."

Slade got up again, only for Kushier to brutally knock him down once more. She grabbed him by the throat and squeezed tightly, only to be repelled by an explosion of hellfire from Slade. When the flames faded, Slade was gone, something that frustrated Kushier to the point that she screamed to the heavens. She released the Confrontation Armor and ran to Violet, who was already being cradled gently in Red X's arms.

* * *

"Don't even think about dying," Red X hissed. "You hear me? You're going to live. You're going to stay here and live. Understand?"

Nightwing's grip on the Soul Swords tightened to the point that his hands would have bled if not for his reinforced gloves. He slowly walked over to Red X, Kushier, and Violet, with Starfire, Raven, and Blackfire following. Even Videl hovered over Violet, unsure of what to say or what to do. Her usual responses to just about anything was to either steal it, break it, screw it, or kill it . . . and this was something completely outside her usual parameters.

Then there was the matter of Slade still having Blaze's ring . . . and now she had a dual purpose. She would get that ring back, and then she would cut Slade's head off and present it to Violet on a silver platter. Hmm, maybe this wasn't so completely outside her standard modes of conduct after all. It was doable; it just took a little bit of thinking.

"How is she?" Nightwing asked.

"Not good," Red X replied. "Slade hurt her pretty bad. I could always use the electroshock function of my suit to jumpstart her, but . . . I'm not sure that wouldn't just make things worse."

"If you concentrate it, it might not," Raven suggested.

Red X flexed his left hand and then slammed it onto Violet's chest, sending a charge into and through her heart. Violet went into a spasm for a moment and then stilled again. Red X tried again, this time increasing the charge. Violet went into another spasm and then stilled once more. Red X gritted his teeth beneath his mask and thrust his hand onto Violet's chest once more, turning up the juice even more. Violet's spasm lasted longer this time, and while she stilled again, her chest rose and fell with breaths unconsciously taken.

"You did it," Nightwing said.

"Yeah," Red X admitted. "But Slade's still going down for this."

"Save some for me," Videl chimed in.

"Only because you asked so nicely," Red X drawled sarcastically.

"I can finish the healing process," Seraph offered, walking slowly but steadily toward Red X and Violet. She kneeled before them and gently placed her hands on Violet's chest, golden light streaming from those hands and infusing Violet's body. Violet's back arched, and she awoke with a gasp.

"Violet!" Kushier exclaimed in blessed relief.

"Next time . . . warn me before I do something that crazy," Violet quipped.

"Sure," Red X replied. "Next time you feel like saving my ass, I'm going to let myself get killed."

Violet looked up at Red X, noticing that they were in a rather intimate position. Videl also noticed, and grinned savagely. "Sweet. I always wanted a threesome. You're so considerate, X."

Red X growled low in his throat. "You're really starting to get on my nerves."

* * *

End Notes: There you have it. "And Hell Came With Him" will actually be heading toward a conclusion in the next chapter, with the assorted heroes – some more so than others – taking on the forces of Hell before their internal war can completely overwhelm the human plane. In the meantime, feelings might just very well come out, bridges could very well be mended (or just burned), and devils could be raised! For the continuation of this awesome adventure into the Inferno, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter, and in the meantime thank you for reading this one.


	12. Acid Black Cherries

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 12: "Acid Black Cherries"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and the larger comic book universe it's derived from belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers, not me. I make no money from this story, either; my only profit comes from my readers' commentary.

Author's note: Happy Birthday, VFSNAKE! Sorry I'm late with this chapter; I got distracted by "Advent of Midnight Void," my Spectacular Spider-Man/Darkstalkers crossover. (Watch out for that, too!) Seriously, though, it's been a wild ride, and it's only about to get wilder, but there is going to be some downtime. After all, when you're about to get mixed up in a civil war in hell, it's a good idea to rest first. You will see some relationships advance, though, and others be resolved. Ready? Set? Go!

* * *

This time, the assembled Titans teams and the Justice League's Magic Division had gone to the headquarters of Titans Shadow. "Nice place," Captain Marvel remarked.

"I know," Red X remarked. "We got a holoscreen TV, we got Wii, ZBOX 720, a holoterm, and lots of other cool toys. _Really_ cool toys." He smirked at Zatanna under his mask. "If you catch my drift."

"If this is your attempt at seducing me, you really need work," Zatanna answered with a slight kidding smirk.

Red X scoffed. "You haven't even seen my best."

Violet and Videl punched Red X in his arms, Violet taking the demon arm and Videl taking the more human arm. Violet winced immediately upon withdrawing her hand. "Shit, what is your arm made of, you bastard?" she asked.

"Tungsten steel alloy over titanium-diamond core," Red X replied sarcastically. He shook his more human arm, which Videl had struck. "You hit hard, woman."

"You'll live," Videl sneered. "You haven't even known the embrace of real pain. Not yet, my love."

"Anybody else freaked out?" Kid Flash asked. "Because I am."

"Please," Rose sneered. "This little bitch thinks she knows what pain is? I'll show her pain."

"Anytime, anywhere," Videl challenged. "Bitch."

"Settle down," Cyborg admonished. "We don't have time for this right now."

"Sure we do!" Superboy remarked. "Girl fights are awesome!"

"Only you would think so," Donna commented snidely.

"Man speaks the truth," Red X defended Superboy. "Girl fights are awesome."

Nightwing palmed his face. "Look, we can have all kinds of awesome girl fights later. Right now, we need to come up with a plan. We _are_ taking on the Infernal Overlords, after all."

At that moment, Severin arrived, looking almost dead. "If you're wondering where I was, I was gathering intel."

"Anything you could share with us?" Jason asked.

"Yes," Severin replied. "Blaze is one faction. Her brother Satanus is another faction. Neron is a third faction. Karkull is a fourth. Nebiros, Eurynomos, and the First of the Fallen are a fifth. Lucifer and Lilith, well . . . they're simply laughing it up and letting them all kill each other, and then they're going to take out whoever's left standing."

"Lucifer and Lilith?" Raven repeated. "_The_ Lucifer and Lilith?"

"Yes," Severin confirmed grimly. "The Morningstar himself and the Mother of Demons herself."

Nightwing looked at Severin. "How much of the stories are true?"

"Roughly half," Severin replied. "The other half consists of exaggerations, misinterpretations, and outright lies. Lucifer rebelled against the Presence because he didn't believe humans deserved the Presence's attention and devotion. A third of the Heavenly Hosts agreed and joined him. When they were all cast down into Hell by Michael, it was intended to be an inescapable prison, but Lucifer and his Fallen met the First of the Fallen and learned from him how to absorb and channel the unholy energy of their prison, plus the dark impulses and desires twisting within human hearts, into incredible power."

"And what about Lilith?" Nightwing asked.

"Frankly, Lilith had the right idea," Videl cut in. "Why the fuck should I have to lie under a man just because I'm the one with the pussy?"

"That how it worked?" Red X asked.

"Yeah," Severin confirmed. "Lilith refused to be a submissive wife and for that was cast out of the Garden of Eden. Lucifer found her and claimed her as his wife, offering her power and pleasure and respect in exchange for helping him to show the Presence that humanity was a mistake on His part."

"And then they fucked a lot," Videl interjected. "And Lilith fucked pretty much all the pretty male demons . . . and some that weren't, but they could give it _good . . ._ and bore their children. Most of the modern demons are descended from Lilith in one way or another."

Everyone looked at Videl, some more tweaked than others concerning what she had just said. "You . . . are . . . depraved," Zatanna uttered in total shock.

"And loving every moment of it," Videl answered.

"Twisted bitch," Gemma muttered. "I think I might just like you."

Rose whistled upon seeing Cassie's almost frightened expression. "Don't worry, Cassie. I'll protect you from the big bad scary demon slut."

"Shut up, Rose," Cassie grumbled.

"You're actually kind of cute when you're irritated," Superboy commented with a hint of a leer. "And that 'deer in headlights' look is cute, too. Makes me want to hug you and squeeze you and shield you from everything that could make you stop smiling."

"Is that your attempt at being romantic?" Donna groaned.

"No," Superboy replied, smirking. "Do you _want_ to see my attempt at being romantic?"

"No," Donna stated tersely.

"So where do we take this from here?" Dr. Fate asked Severin, his head tilted questioningly.

"Lucifer won the position of Supreme Overlord of Hell from the First of the Fallen some eons ago," Severin replied. "Then, one eon ago, he and Lilith abdicated their positions and left the stewardship of Hell to the First of the Fallen. Of course, the First of the Fallen has been slowly declining in power, forcing him to share power in a triumvirate called the Blood Trinity. The other Overlords eventually caught on to his weakness and began scheming against him, but their ambitions overruled any idea of an alliance between them. That's why they're fighting."

"Any way we can turn that to our advantage?" Zatanna asked.

"No," Jason replied. "And I wouldn't advise it, either. Dealing with demons ends poorly. Very poorly."

"Then there's still the matter of Slade," Nightwing added. "What's his angle in this? What does he hope to gain?"

"Demonic ascendance," Severin replied. "Believe it or not, it is possible for humans to become demons. Slade is already halfway there, having been a vessel for the Crimson Phoenix and a wielder of Soul Edge. The energies of both have altered him and his abilities greatly, although if I recall from your own confrontations with him, he was already more demon than human in the first place. He is only becoming more of what he was to start with."

"Slade and I have two of the Sentinel Demons inside us," Nightwing said. "Does that mean . . . I'll become a demon, too?"

Severin stared at Nightwing. "Yes. You will."

Nightwing shrugged and squeezed Raven's hand gently. "And what's Slade going to do once he's ascended?"

"Probably kill the entire world," Raven replied dryly. "The sad part is that I'm not kidding."

Zatara rubbed the back of his neck. "So, we're going to interfere in a civil war in Hell, take out all the head honchos there, and maybe get into a slugfest with the Devil himself?"

"Sounds like fun," Blackfire commented.

"Yeah. Fun," Raven drawled sarcastically.

"You worry too much, Rae baby," Blackfire purred, embracing Raven from behind. "Way too much. Just let go . . . relax a little . . . and it'll all be fine."

"Forgive me for taking multiple simultaneous apocalypses seriously," Raven retorted dryly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nightwing and Red X had gone to the training area of the Shadow Tower. "You think we should do this without masks?" Nightwing asked.

"You've seen my face already," Red X answered. "I know yours. No big."

Nightwing and Red X removed their masks, revealing the faces of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd-Knight. Nightwing drew Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, a faint crimson-violet aura surrounding him to hint at Regina's presence. Red X removed his right-hand glove, revealing the Right Arm of the Damned with glowing red veins in its almost rocklike surface.

"Let's do this," Nightwing said.

The two black-clad young men attacked each other immediately, Red X blocking Nightwing's Soul Calibur with his demonic right arm. Just as Red X moved to kick Nightwing in the stomach, Nightwing blocked the kick with Soul Edge. With just a little bit of demonic force enhancing his push, Nightwing threw Red X away from him, only for Red X to seemingly vanish from sight as he back-flipped . . . and reemerge with a punch aimed at the back of Nightwing's head. Nightwing dodged the punch, but the shockwave generated by Red X's fist blew him back.

Nightwing flipped back and landed with his swords crossed. He slashed with both of them simultaneously in an X maneuver, generating a cross-shaped wave of holy and infernal energy flying at Red X. Red X drew back his Right Arm of the Damned and thrust it forward, punching the wave of combined holy and infernal force. His fist practically sliced through the wave as he charged at Nightwing, who twisted underneath Red X and swept his legs out from under him. Red X merely caught himself on his demonic hand and spun on it to kick Nightwing as he rose.

Nightwing skidded back from the force of Red X's kick, only to stop himself just as Red X darted behind him to kick him in the back of the head. Nightwing blocked Red X's kick with Soul Calibur and slashed at him with Soul Edge, only for Red X to block Soul Edge with his demonic arm. Nightwing thrust his knee into Red X's solar plexus, catching the thief by surprise. This time, Nightwing darted behind Red X and swung down with Soul Edge, only for Red X to spin into a brutal kick to Nightwing's stomach, knocking him into a wall.

Red X faced the rising Nightwing as an aura of crimson mist began to coalesce around him. The mist began taking a definite shape, of an armored figure standing behind Red X in the same fighting pose Red X was taking. Nightwing smiled at Red X. "Gearing up to kick my ass, are you? Fine. Let's do this."

Red X jumped into the air, drawing his fist back as he did so. When he came down, he came down surrounded by his human-shaped crimson battle aura . . . which seemed to be concentrating itself into his Right Arm of the Damned. He delivered a brutal punch to Nightwing as he descended, one that Nightwing caught with his hand . . . except the punch wasn't just one punch. It was _twenty_ punches in the space of one second, practically shattering Nightwing's arm.

"Damn . . ." Red X uttered. "Didn't know I'd fuck you up that bad."

Nightwing smirked despite the pain. "Worry about yourself." Soul Edge fused with Nightwing's injured arm, forming an armored cast that covered not only his arm, but his shoulder and side as well. A sword blade extended from the armored cast, and Nightwing lunged at Red X, who blocked Nightwing's arm-blade with a scarlet energy blade extending from his gloved hand. Nightwing flipped over Red X and swung Soul Calibur at him, only for Red X to block with his Right Arm of the Damned and slash at him with the X-sword.

Nightwing blocked the swing of the X-sword with his arm-blade, with Red X pushing against his blade. With a burst of demonic power, Red X repelled Nightwing, although Nightwing flipped backward, briefly landing on the ceiling before launching himself off it into a flying kick. Red X jumped up after Nightwing using the power of the Right Arm of the Damned, intending to intercept his kick with his punch. Their respective attacks collided, Nightwing's foot against Red X's fist, with such force that it knocked them both away.

Again, Nightwing ended up on the worse end of the deal, as Red X's punch had nearly shattered his leg. This time, Soul Calibur fused with Nightwing's injured leg, forming a protective brace that enabled him to still walk and fight with that leg. Nightwing straightened up onto his feet as Soul Calibur's crystalline substance covered his injured leg completely, along with his side. Red X raised his X-sword and moved to attack Nightwing, only for Nightwing to deliver a roundhouse kick with his Soul Calibur-armored leg. The kick came with enough force to send Red X colliding with the far wall.

"Damn . . . you can hit . . ." Red X remarked.

Nightwing looked at Red X as he rose to his feet, Soul Edge's infernal metal and Soul Calibur's holy crystal intertwining as they covered more of his body. The Cursed Blade and the Spirit Sword armored Nightwing's body and extended blades from Nightwing's arms, one white crystal and the other black metal. Sapphires accented the blade formed from Soul Calibur, and rubies adorned the blade formed by Soul Edge.

"So can you," Nightwing replied. "That's why it came to this."

Red X flipped his buckle and slid the Cell Driver into the empty slot after typing in the code to activate his armor. Once the Cell Driver was locked into the belt, the armor formed over Red X's body. "And now it's come to this," he remarked, inputting one more code . . . 7-3-9-5-#.

Once that code was input, he relocked the Cell Driver as a bright glow began to flow into the "veins" in the legs of Red X's armor. Red X ran toward Nightwing, launching himself into the air midway and moving into a series of repeating bicycle kicks directed at Nightwing. The kicks came with such force that they almost crushed Nightwing with each impact, even with Nightwing blocking each and every one of Red X's kicks. Finally, Red X landed a kick on Nightwing's chest, sending Nightwing crashing into a wall.

Nightwing rose to his feet, smiling at Red X. "Nice moves."

"Thanks," Red X answered.

* * *

It was at that point that Zatanna, Jason, Morgana, Zatara, Gemma, the Wonder Girls, Superboy, Rose, Blackfire, Violet, and Videl came in to observe the fight. "Damn, look at those guys go," Superboy remarked.

"I have to admit, they're quite impressive," Zatanna mused. "And Nightwing seems to have more control over those powers than I thought."

"Red X is kicking a whole lot of ass, too," Videl offered. "I love badass guys like him."

Rose licked her lips as she looked at Nightwing's uncovered face. "So fucking gorgeous."

"You said it," Morgana agreed.

"Watch it, bitches," Blackfire shot off. "He's mine, Starfire's, and Raven's. That's it."

Gemma chuckled. "Sexy man like that, I'd wanna keep him for myself, too."

"She does share him with Starfire and Raven," Zatara observed.

"How does that work, anyway?" Cassie asked.

"Well, when a man and a woman and a woman and a woman love each other very much . . ." Videl started to say, only to be cut off by Zatara.

"We don't wanna hear it."

"I'm not saying anything bad, just stating facts. Forcing somebody to choose between two or more people that they care for equally is just stupid. Say I love my daddy. Say I love my boy toy. Say I love my cute girlfriend. What's the problem with loving them all like I want to love them?"

Blackfire smirked. "I think I just developed something resembling respect for you."

"Wisdom out of the gutter," Gemma observed. "It happens."

Zatanna and Jason looked at Gemma, Blackfire, and Videl somewhat askance. Videl just grinned. "So, who wants to see Red X kick Nightwing's ass?"

"Or Nightwing kick Red X's ass," Blackfire countered.

"Shit, your boy can barely stand without those swords armoring him up," Videl scoffed.

"He can still kick your boy's ass any day," Blackfire retorted.

* * *

Red X input another code into his Cell Driver, causing his armor's power to concentrate itself in his fist. He jumped into the air and came down with a hard punch, which Nightwing managed to deflect by catching Red X's arm with both swords. Having done that, he delivered a brutal dropkick that knocked Red X to the ground . . . and the thief-turned-reluctant superhero didn't get up immediately after that.

"You'd better not be playing possum," Nightwing taunted.

"No fooling you . . . is there?" Red X remarked from his prone position.

"One more time? Just to settle this?" Nightwing asked.

Red X got up, extending twin X-swords from his gloves. "Anytime you're ready."

Nightwing's blades extended themselves as well, and he braced himself. "Come on."

Nightwing and Red X charged each other with their swords at the ready. They each blocked the other's foremost blade when they met, but their secondary blades made their marks in human – or not-so-human – flesh. Nightwing smirked at Red X, while Red X chuckled briefly.

"So that's it, huh?" Red X asked.

"I guess so . . ." Nightwing replied.

"Raven's gonna kill us for fucking each other up like this," Red X groaned.

"Yeah, but I'll make it up to her," Nightwing said.

"Sure, with your magical burning love."

"Shut up, X."

* * *

Both young fighters collapsed finally from all their injuries, their armors dissipating to reveal their standard costumes. Immediately, Blackfire and Videl moved over to the two young men and picked them up gently . . . or at least tried. "Don't worry about a thing, Night. Nurse Blackfire will take good care of you . . ."

"Perfect opportunity." Videl chortled. "I can rape you freely now."

"Yeah, sure, whatever, you crazy bitch," Red X grumbled.

Blackfire and Videl carried Nightwing and Red X to the infirmary, although Raven and Starfire followed them along the way. "What happened to them?" Starfire asked.

"Fucked each other up play-fighting," Videl replied. She smirked at Starfire and Raven. "Wingman ever that rough with you?"

"None of your business," Raven answered.

"I assure you, Videl, Nightwing is most gentle with us . . ." Starfire amended. "Unless we do not wish him to be."

Blackfire and Videl lay Nightwing and Red X on the medical cots, or rather . . . Blackfire gently settled Nightwing on his, while Videl opted to simply drop Red X on his. It was at this moment that the girls all noticed something strange, namely that the two black-clad young men had their masks off.

"What do you know? You're kinda sexy without your mask," Videl commented.

"Knew there was a reason I added 'sexy' instead of just calling you 'annoying,'" Blackfire remarked.

"Thanks," Red X answered.

"If this is how you two 'play,' I don't want to see you when you're serious," Raven drawled.

"Hi!" Morgana popped in. "Aww, you two don't look too good."

"What are you doing here?" Raven asked.

"I'm here to help," Morgana replied. "I'm an expert in flesh-and-bone re-crafting."

"Wow, so you could make it like new?" Videl asked.

"Sure," Morgana replied. "Just watch me."

She phased her hands past Nightwing's clothes and skin, beginning to "knit" together his broken bones with her magic. Nightwing stayed still, groaning slightly from the strange sensation of his body being "sewed" back into one piece. Whether that sensation felt good or not was something he couldn't quite make up his mind on. Nevertheless, it was quite beneficial, as he felt his bones and muscles come together even stronger than before.

Morgana pulled her hands out of Nightwing and smiled. "Feeling better now?"

"Yeah. A lot better," Nightwing answered. "Thanks."

She grinned at Red X. "Your turn!" Then she did the same thing to him.

"Anything else you could do with that?" Red X asked.

"Like what?" Morgana wondered.

"Make a guy tougher, stronger . . . _harder?_" The last word was accented by a wicked smirk on his face.

Videl punched him in the shoulder. "Quit flirting with other women when I'm around."

"I'm not your property, Videl, and we're not even dating! Or fucking!"

"We could be." Videl immediately began to disrobe, heedless of the others that were around. "We could be fucking right fucking now. And we will be fucking right now, damn it."

"I really don't think we should be here right now . . ." Morgana murmured.

"Stick around," Videl spat, an inhuman smile on her face as she continued disrobing. "We can have one great big orgy together!"

"Are you fucking crazy?" Red X asked, utterly stunned.

"Yeah. And you're going to be just as crazy as I am soon enough."

Nightwing gulped, not sure whether to be appalled or to laugh out loud at his quasi-brother's predicament. It was at that moment that Rose and Violet happened to show up, presumably to see Red X. "Hey, we were hoping to – _what the fuck do you think you're doing, bitch?!_"

Rose charged Videl with her force blades at the ready. Videl simply sidestepped Rose's charge, leaving the girl to overshoot . . . until she turned on a dime and slashed Videl's naked right breast. Videl scowled darkly at Rose. "You're looking for a spanking, aren't you, you little bitch?"

Rose bared her teeth savagely at Videl. "Just try it, bitch. Come on. _Try it._"

Nightwing groaned. "Red X, tell them to knock it off. You're amenable to sharing, aren't you?"

"Always," Red X replied. He turned to Rose, Violet, and Videl. "No need to fight over me, ladies. Enough of me to go around."

"I was going to let you two in on the action later," Videl said. "Now's as good a time as any, though."

"You . . . are you serious?" Violet asked incredulously.

"Would I lie?" Videl asked rhetorically. "You'll notice deception isn't a trait any of the Seven Shadows are really known for."

"Pride, Lust, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, Wrath, and Envy," Rose recited. She snickered. "Catholic schoolgirl. Still have the outfit."

"Can I see you in it?" Red X asked.

"If you're good, maybe . . ." Rose purred.

"Look, if this is all settled, we're going to take Nightwing out of here so he can have some peace and quiet while he recovers," Raven cut in.

"Except you won't really be quiet, will you?" Videl teased.

"Find a way to shut up," Raven sneered, just before wrapping black astral wings around herself, Nightwing, Starfire, and Blackfire and vanishing with them.

* * *

"I can do that . . . and I have just the way . . ." Videl purred, creeping toward Red X.

"Why . . . does that not make me feel better?" Red X wondered.

Just then, Rose straddled Red X's head, grinning down at him as she began to undo the catches on the lower half of her armor. "Don't worry, baby. We'll be good to you . . . if you're good to us."

Red X grinned, regaining some of his spirit. "With a deal like that, how could I refuse?"

Videl looked over at Violet as she undid the catches on the lower half of Red X's battle suit. "Well? Aren't you gonna join us?"

Violet reached up and removed both the goggles and vented mask that concealed her face, revealing sharp yet strangely delicate features, pale skin, and green eyes. Red X gaped at her. "Wow. You're actually kinda hot."

"Thanks," Violet answered, beginning to strip off her suit.

* * *

Meanwhile, Nightwing had been divested of his armor and was now soaking in the tub, staring almost languidly into space. Blackfire, Raven, and Starfire lingered around him, just watching his peaceful demeanor. That expression soon hardened into a look of troubled contemplation.

"We're about to go up against things most people think exist only in fairy tales or children's stories or bygone legends," he murmured. "And even with Rij'ze, Regina, and the Soul Swords . . . I'm still worried I'm in over my head."

"That's why you have us," Blackfire observed, slowly tracing Nightwing's pecs with her index fingertip.

Nightwing smiled softly. "Yeah." Then his smile turned mischievous as he yanked Blackfire into the tub with him.

"What the hell?!" Blackfire exclaimed. Nightwing just kissed her while placing her firmly on his lap so she could feel his arousal pressing against her firm backside. Her anger lost in the heat of her lover's kiss, Blackfire returned it eagerly, threading her fingers in his silky black hair.

"What do you think, Star?" Raven asked. "Tub's big enough for all of us, right?"

"It is, Raven," Starfire answered. "It is."

* * *

Elsewhere, Superboy sat on the rooftop of Shadow Titans Tower, contemplating what had happened and what would happen. His thoughts drifted to the Wonder Girls who had both, in their ways, captured his heart. First, there was Cassie – blonde, peppy, almost boyish, and incredibly virginal. Then there was Donna – brunette, serene, a lady even in the midst of battle, and always ready with a scathing remark to keep him from getting too much of a swelled head.

Truthfully, Superboy wasn't nearly as arrogant or womanizing as he let on. It was his way of trying to get the others to loosen up a bit; by being a jackass, he invited them to laugh and play and be more expressive, even if that expressiveness involved kicking his ass. If he were more honest with himself, he'd also say it was his way of proving he was his own man, separate from his genetic parents, the world's greatest hero and said hero's greatest nemesis.

Evil wasn't as simple as it had initially seemed to the young Superman clone. Evil wasn't a cackling cartoon parody of criminal avarice; it was a coldblooded shadow that followed everyone around, waiting for the moment to ensnare some unlucky bastard and twist him into something even his own mother wouldn't recognize.

"Still thinking about it?" Kid Flash asked, interrupting Superboy's musings.

"Oh, it's you, Bart," Superboy grunted. "What do you want?"

"Nothing," Kid Flash replied. "Just telling you, thinking about it's not going to do any good. 'Sides, what the hell does it matter? You're still a cool guy in my book, and who else is going to make me look good in front of Jinx?"

"Yeah, if Jinx figured out you were just as bad as me . . ." Superboy remarked, trailing off into a laugh. "Seriously, man, what do you want?"

"Wondy's girls wanna see you," Kid Flash said. "Wonder what."

"Thanks, man," Superboy said, going back inside Shadow Tower. Once inside, he wandered about the halls, looking for where exactly Cassie and Donna would want him to meet them. _Stupid Bart, not telling me exactly where they are,_ he thought. Just then, there was a sudden flash of gold, almost like bright lines. Superboy followed the flash, only to find another one ahead, this one looking almost fiery.

By the time he managed to reach the flash, he noticed that he was at a dead end . . . and the only door available led to the training room. Superboy, undeterred, walked inside, only to find Donna and Cassie engaged in casual weightlifting, except the weights being used edged out around 100 tons at least. They approached it somewhat differently, Donna lifting her weights with her arms and Cassie lifting her weights with her legs.

Superboy, of course, couldn't help but stare at the sheen of sweat on Donna's arms, not to mention the definition of Donna's arms themselves. Turning to Cassie, he couldn't help but watch with rapt fascination as her thighs and calves flexed with the effort required to lift the weights. This brought him back to an old observation of his about Cassie, namely . . .

_She's got sexy legs._

"Hi, Conner," Donna greeted. "Do you want to join us?"

"Um, sure," Superboy replied.

"We're just about done, anyway," Cassie added. With one last lift of the 100-ton weight with her legs, she released herself from the machine and stretched. As she did so, she looked up at Superboy. "Did you like the show?"

Donna released herself from her weight machine and began to stretch as well, the motions of such allowing her firm belly – with droplets of sweat galore – to be seen. Upon catching Superboy's eye, she looked at him with a small smile. "Like my sister asked, did you like the show?"

Superboy looked at Donna and Cassie warily. "You guys planned this, didn't you?"

"Yes," Donna replied with a slow smirk. "I much prefer this method of drawing your attention."

As the Wonder Girls began to move toward Superboy like panthers cornering a gazelle, Superboy just thought to himself, _I've really gotten myself into it now . . ._

* * *

Meanwhile, Morgana popped into the room Gemma was staying in. "I'm bored!"

"Why?" Gemma asked.

"Everyone's having sex but us!" Morgana whined.

"Actually, the only people having sex are Nightwing, Blackfire, Starfire, and Raven; Red X, Rose, Violet, and Videl; and Superboy and the Wonder Girls," Gemma answered. "Not that I care."

"Why not?" Morgana asked.

Gemma grinned. "Because all that carnal energy is going to be a lovely juicer for my spells."

"You can do that?"

"Uh-huh. The most powerful forces can be invoked through primal emotion and drive. And I'm bathing in the most powerful emotion of all . . . sheer lust."

"I thought that was love?"

"Love for something purer and stronger. Lust if you just want some kick right now."

Morgana looked at Gemma, nervously biting her index fingernail. "I can feel it . . ."

"Feel what? The power?" Gemma asked.

"Y-yeah," Morgana replied.

Gemma patted an empty spot next to her bed. "Come sin with me, then. It'll be fun, I promise."

"Promise?" Morgana asked, her voice cracking from the effort it took to remain standing.

Gemma's smile widened. "Promise."

* * *

End Notes: There you have it. We now know a little bit more of what the demons are up to, we can at least guess as to what Slade is up to, and now everyone is just having lots and lots of freaky sex. Well, not _everyone_ per se, but you get my drift, right? And all that sex is supercharging certain mages by virtue of the fact that "historically," a lot of magic could be strengthened by intense emotional energy, including the energy sparked by sex. If you want to know what's going to happen to all these people after the (doubtlessly) hot sex, you'll just have to read on. Later, and thanks.


	13. Stone My Little Halo

"And Hell Came With Him"

Chapter 13: "Stone My Little Halo"

Disclaimer: Teen Titans and the larger universe it inhabits belong to DC Comics and Warner Brothers. The weapons featured in this story belong to Namco, which is the company behind Soul Calibur. I make no money from this story whatsoever.

Author's note: Sorry for taking so long with this chapter, life and other stories interrupted and seized my brain. But I've got inspiration for this story again, and that means we're gonna get rocking! Now that the fun times are over, the _really_ fun times can begin . . . assuming you find fighting demon lords and archfiends fun. In the meantime, though, it's time to rock!

* * *

When Nightwing woke up, he found himself in bed with Raven, Starfire, and Blackfire draped over him . . . and all four of them were naked. "Umm, did I miss something?" he asked.

"Let's just say . . . we had ourselves a ball after you passed out," Raven answered, her dry tone belying the mischief in her eyes.

"All right, I think I get the part where you carried me out of the bathwater and dried me off, but . . ." Nightwing groaned. "Don't tell me you were molesting me while I slept and Rij'ze woke up and decided to have his fun with you."

"Fine, we won't tell you," Blackfire replied. "But he was quite fun, in his way."

Nightwing muttered, "Of course he'd be fun; he's making up for not getting any in fifteen centuries."

"It is not like he is a better lover than you," Starfire stated. "Your styles are simply different and yet equally satisfying. Although I must admit that I like having a lover with less of a grip on his passions . . ." She leaned over to whisper in Nightwing's ear. ". . . and more of a grip on me."

"When you put it like that . . ." Nightwing murmured, his voice dropping a few octaves.

Just then, Kid Flash vibrated through the door. "Hi, everyone! Sorry to interrupt the orgy, but Jason wants to talk to us!"

"Blood?" Nightwing asked.

"Of course!" Kid Flash answered. "Who else?"

Nightwing certainly wasn't going to disabuse Kid Flash of the notion that Jason Blood was the only "Jason" in the Tower; he respected X too much to let that happen. "It's all right. We'll be ready."

Kid Flash vibrated out the door again, and Blackfire pouted. "And I was looking forward to having my way with you . . ."

"You'll all get your chance," Nightwing assured as he got out of bed and began to don his costume. Once his costume was on, he picked up the Soul Swords and mounted them on his back. As he put on his mask, he heard a seductive ethereal "voice" in his mind.

_Does that go for me, too?_

_Of course, Regina. Of course._

The girls dressed as well, Starfire wrapping a thick purple strap around her breasts in an X shape that effectively covered them while leaving tantalizing hints of what lay underneath. She also donned a Tamaranean neck collar and tight purple pants that seemed to be made out of a flexible alien metal. She then hooked those pants to the strap around her breasts with smaller straps that framed her abdomen in what could have been a five-sided diamond and donned a pair of wrist gauntlets and an armored armband.

Blackfire wore a tight black crop top with a Tamaranean neck collar and extremely skimpy black shorts that could have almost passed for panties. Armored sleeves and wrist gauntlets covered her arms, and thigh-high black boots covered her feet and legs.

Raven wore her standard black leotard, now sleeveless, only with a pair of low-rise armored-fabric pants over it and her gem-belt slung loosely on her hips. After donning a pair of black arm-covers, she threw her cloak on around her shoulders and clasped it shut as it folded over her body.

Nightwing eyed Raven with carefully hidden lasciviousness, betrayed only by his small smirk. Then he turned to Starfire and Blackfire and his smile widened. "Let's go."

* * *

The Titans Shadow assembled in the War Room, along with the Titans Mystic and the Titans West. Their allies for the moment – Violet, Videl, Kushier, Severin, Azrael, Seraph, and the Justice League's Magic Division – were there as well. Zatanna smiled sardonically at Nightwing, Red X, and Superboy.

"I trust you all enjoyed your little forays into the wonderful world of sexual excess?"

"You could have just asked to join in," Red X remarked. "I'd have let you."

"You're too young for me," Zatanna answered.

Red X chuckled. "But we're both at the zenith of our sexual energy and prowess! It could work . . . even if for just one night."

Violet and Videl both swung at Red X, only for Red X to trap Violet's wrist against his body and catch Videl's fist. Zatanna just smiled. "It seems your girlfriends aren't exactly amenable to sharing," she remarked.

"We are," Videl amended. "You've just got a long way to go to get our approval before we let you have him."

Jason Blood chuckled. "Truly, I haven't been so amused since the day . . ."

"The day what?" Nightwing prompted.

"Oh, nothing important," Jason replied. "Just the day my most trusted knight nearly killed me over a woman we both fell in love with. Ah, Lancelot . . . good man, a bit hotheaded . . . a lot like you, actually."

"Thanks for the compliment," Nightwing remarked.

Black Alice whistled as she looked at Superboy and the Wonder Girls. "You three sure Superman and Wonder Woman are gonna take you guys all sleeping together well?"

"Maybe it'll inspire them to stop denying how they feel about each other," Donna suggested.

"Wait," Cassie said. "If Superman and Wonder Woman get married, would that make us like . . . related?"

"You do know that most of the reason people get into a tizzy about incest, other than it just skeeves them, is the fucked-up babies that come out of it, right?" Blackfire piped up.

Superboy looked at Blackfire, then Starfire, then back to Blackfire. "Don't tell me you . . ."

Blackfire smirked.

"Oh, God . . . I think I might just pass out."

"Can we please stop talking about sex?" Captain Marvel asked with barely a trace of irritability. "It's distracting."

"You're a virgin, aren't you?" Red X taunted.

"Aww, it's ok . . ." Rose purred. "I _like_ virgins."

Zatanna palmed her face. "Like Captain Marvel said, can we all please stop talking about sex? It's distracting."

"And we don't need to be reminded of what we're not getting," Black Alice added, just to needle Zatanna.

"Enough," Dr. Fate declared. "While we waste time speaking of the pleasures of the flesh, the Infernal Overlords' civil war comes closer and closer to spilling into this dimension and destroying everything and everyone we hold dear. Now, what we need to do is come up with a plan to keep that from happening."

"Can't we just go down to Hell and kick their asses?" Beast Boy asked.

"Not how it works, Beast Boy," Raven replied. "We need to find a way to shut any gateways leading out of Hell and into our world."

"And how are we supposed to do that?" Cyborg asked.

"Several of us here are talented spell-casters," Raven replied. "Between us, and the other supernatural powers among us, there is a way to keep hell on Earth from happening."

"Even if we do find a way . . ." Superboy mused. "Won't we have to seal the gates in and out of Hell from both sides?"

"That's crazy talk, Superboy," Kid Flash said. "A two-way seal pretty much means somebody has to stay in Hell for good to maintain that side of the seal, let alone actually make it."

"I know," Superboy acknowledged, "but it sounds like the only way to be sure."

"Superboy has a point," Severin said. "If we are to keep the demons from again entering our domain, we would need their gateways sealed on both sides . . . and that _would_ require someone to stay behind."

"But who's gonna do it?" Red X asked. "Who's going to agree to spend the rest of eternity in Hell fighting or being tortured by demons?"

"That's not something any of us can ask of someone else," Nightwing replied grimly. "Not if we aren't willing to do the same ourselves."

"If it comes to that, it comes to that," Doctor Fate stated succinctly. "In the meantime, we must prepare."

* * *

As Red X walked to his room after the meeting was over, he was pinned to the wall by Videl, who ripped off his mask and kissed him fiercely. Red X was surprised but eager, as he kissed Videl back, his gloved hands moving into her hair.

"What do you say, X?" she purred in his ear. "One more for the road?"

"One more for the road," X echoed decisively.

Videl unbuckled his belt and undid the catches keeping the lower half of his suit connected to the upper half. She then unzipped the lower part of her suit and straddled Red X, gripping his sides with her thighs as she lowered herself onto him.

"Fuck me like you mean it," she hissed.

Red X whirled around so that Videl was the one pinned against the wall and went to town on her while his cape wrapped around them both. Dark growls escaped his mouth as she pushed back against him with enough force to crack a lesser man's pelvis. Loud gasps and deep moans escaped Videl's mouth as she reacted to the force of Red X's thrusts.

"Jason . . ." Videl moaned.

"What's your name?" Red X whispered.

"Victoria . . ." Videl admitted.

"Victoria . . . _my Victoria . . ._" Red X snarled as he thrust into her even harder.

Rose happened to be walking down the hall when she saw Red X and Videl going at it against the wall. Smirking slightly, she walked up to them, getting close just as Red X let out a shuddering groan and Videl went into orgasmic spasms.

"Is this a private party . . . or can anybody join?"

Red X withdrew from Videl slowly, as Videl turned to Rose with a lazy smirk. "Just so long as you're willing to clean us up," Videl answered.

Rose licked her lips as she looked at Videl's nakedness. "Looks like you two really went at it."

"Uh-huh," Videl confirmed, smiling wickedly. "Want a taste?"

Rose smiled back just as wickedly and winked at Red X before lowering herself to her knees before Videl. "Taste good?" the demonic warrior queried as Rose went to work on her. She then shuddered as Rose let out a low, languorous moan of satisfaction, the vibrations of which she could easily feel against her sensitive flesh. Videl rolled her eyes up to look at Red X, smiling invitingly at him.

* * *

At sunset, Nightwing called everyone into the War Room. "There are seven points on this planet where we can find Hellgates," Severin explained. "One is in Death Valley. Another is in Iceland. The third is in the Amazon rainforest. The fourth is in the Sahara Desert. The fifth is in the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. The sixth is in the Ryukyu Islands. The seventh is in the Russian tundra."

"And you know this how, exactly?" Beast Boy asked.

"I fought in Hell's army for several eons," Severin replied. "That's how I know."

"Who's gonna go?" Kid Flash asked.

"We all are," Nightwing replied. "But we'll have to split up to cover all seven Hellgates."

"I believe we should assemble our teams according to who'll be most likely to work well together," Doctor Fate suggested.

"Good idea," Cyborg agreed. "Who do you have in mind?"

"I was going to leave that to you," Doctor Fate answered.

"All right, then," Nightwing said. "Rose, Donna, and Jason are with me. Starfire, you, Cassie, Seraph, and Black Alice will go together. Raven, you, Superboy, Azrael, and Doctor Fate will be a team. Blackfire, you, Kid Flash, Osiris, and Captain Marvel will be a team. Red X, you, Cyborg, Kid Devil, Gemma, and Zatanna are going to work with each other. Violet, you'll be going with Beast Boy, Zatara, and Morgana. Videl, you're with Severin, Kushier, Obsidian, and Jinx."

"Who's going to lead the teams?" Superboy asked.

"I'll lead mine," Nightwing replied. "Seraph leads hers. Raven and Doctor Fate will co-lead. Captain Marvel leads. Cyborg and Zatanna co-lead. Beast Boy leads. Severin and Kushier co-lead."

"Me?" Beast Boy asked. "Seriously, Wingman?"

"Seriously, Beast Boy," Nightwing confirmed. "If it wasn't for you back with the Brotherhood of Evil, we wouldn't have survived. I've got faith in you."

Beast Boy almost blushed. At the last second, though, he regained some measure of cool and smiled. "Won't let you down, Nightwing."

"I know," Nightwing answered.

"So where do we go?" Beast Boy asked.

"My team goes to Death Valley," Nightwing explained. "Seraph's team goes to Iceland. Raven's team goes to the Amazon. Marvel's team goes to the Sahara. Cyborg's team goes to Australia. Beast Boy's team goes to Ryukyu. Kushier's team goes to the tundra."

"When do we go?" Black Alice asked.

"Now's good," Nightwing replied. "I wish we could spend a little longer here, enjoying what might be our last moments together, but the longer we delay, the more chance the demons have of bringing hell to Earth. Can't let that happen. Won't let that happen."

* * *

The sun was coming down as Nightwing's team reached Death Valley, and the demons were starting to come out, as though they'd sensed his team's approach. Jason drew his sword, the corrupted Excalibur, and began slicing through the demons, while Wonder Girl and Nightwing stuck to hand-to-hand combat with the demons. Rose drew her force blades and began carving a path through the demons, her left eye burning with a malefic light.

In Iceland, Seraph was wielding her divine saber against the demons in her path. Starfire powered through the demons with her starbolts, while Cassie opted to punch and kick her way through them. Black Alice had borrowed the Power of Shazam to become a female, gothic Black Adam and was now striking down the demons with eldritch lightning.

In the Amazon rainforest, Raven was telekinetically battering the demons, while Superboy used physical attacks boosted by his tactile telekinesis. Azrael fought the demons with his bare hands, proving himself once again to be a brutally formidable warrior. Doctor Fate cast both defensive and offensive spells against the demons, although when it became necessary, he did opt to just deck several of them.

In the Sahara desert, Blackfire was having a ball tearing through demons with her bare hands and starbolts, while Captain Marvel simply used his strength and his eldritch lightning to attack them. Osiris was fighting alongside Captain Marvel, and Captain Marvel had to admit that they made an excellent team . . . almost like fighting beside CM3. Kid Flash was vibrating through the demons, and causing them to explode simply by virtue of leftover kinetic energy from his passing.

On an Australian beach, Kid Devil was turning the sand to glass with every step he took and breathing fireballs at the demons. Cyborg's Sonic Cannons shredded various demons, while Red X had tapped into his demonic powers, warping through his demonic foes, "Force grabbing" them and slamming them to the ground, and even punching them repeatedly at high speed until their heads shattered. Zatanna was casting spells to attack the demons, while Gemma had attached a hellfire spell to her soul to amplify her fighting abilities and physical strength, allowing her to tear through the demons personally.

Zatanna watched Gemma, recognizing the nature of the magic she had employed. It was one thing to be unwittingly fused with a demon, but deliberately fusing a demon spell to one's soul for power? Misgivings aside, she had to admit that the tactic was effective, if not somewhat unsettling.

On the Ryukyu Islands, Violet was fighting the demons with the unique brand of martial arts she had learned from Kushier. The thing about heavenly combat arts was that they didn't just attack the body; they could destroy the soul if sufficient damage was inflicted. Thus, Violet was striking the demons in their chakras, right where the soul's power was most deeply concentrated and could be most heavily damaged.

Beast Boy had triggered the Werebeast transformation and was ripping through demons with a savagery one would not guess he had the potential for. Zatara and Morgana were casting offensive spells to attack the demons with and defensive spells for protection, although Morgana looked like she was actually having fun.

In the Russian tundra, Kushier had called forth her battle armor, savagely tearing through the demons. Severin was using his flaming sword to deal with the demons, and Videl just went berserk and beat every demon in her path to death. Obsidian shadow-merged and used his amplified strength and fighting abilities to thrash the demons in his path. Jinx hexed the demons into destroying themselves and each other when she wasn't using her acrobatics to dodge them.

* * *

In all seven points, all seven teams eventually succeeded in taking down their obstacles and breaking into the Hellgates, entering the Infernal Realm itself. "Well, haven't we gotten into a fine mess?" Nightwing asked.

"Yeah," Red X agreed.

"What was the title of your favorite wrestler's entrance theme?" Nightwing asked idly. "Release the Demon?"

"Yeah," Red X replied.

"Oh, I get it," Videl remarked with a laugh. "Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war!" She dived into the mass of demons that were coming after them and began to savagely rip them apart, laughing madly as their blood spilled on her.

Nightwing gave Red X the "are you insane?" look. Red X just shrugged and said, "The sex is awesome."

A storm of black fire formed around Nightwing, as Rij'ze's personality began to assert itself over his. A wicked smile formed on his face and he drew Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, clanging them together before speed-blitzing the deluge of demons.

"Gone, gone, the form of man! Rise the demon . . . _**Etrigan!**_"

"Well, he's one to talk," Red X remarked. "Oh, well." He ripped off his glove, revealing his Right Arm of the Damned, the veins of which were glowing blood-red. A demonic avatar surrounded Red X, and Red X chuckled. "Let's rip up some mangy dogs."

Starfire and Blackfire tag-teamed against the demon hordes, and so did the Wonder Girls. Black Alice, Gemma, and Morgana used their command of magic to attack the demons, while Severin, Kushier, Violet, and Seraph wielded their angelic powers against the demons. Cyborg and Beast Boy were tag-teaming against the demons, while Raven and Doctor Fate slung spells at the unholy creatures.

Captain Marvel and Osiris called forth the Power of Shazam to beat back the demons, while Zatanna and Zatara used their magic to fight them. Etrigan and Kid Devil were unleashing hellfire upon the demons, and Rose was tearing through the demons with her force blades. Superboy and Kid Flash tag-teamed as well, while Obsidian and Jinx backed each other up against the demons.

Of course, all this carnage drew the attention of the Infernal Overlords they'd come to stop in the first place. "Well, fuck me sideways!" Red X exclaimed.

"You _are_ fucked," Blaze remarked. "And you're going to _be_ fucked. In the most painful way possible. And with nothing to ease your anguish at all."

"Are you propositioning me?" Red X asked flirtatiously.

"Videl, I must congratulate you," Blaze commented. "You brought all our enemies here for me to kill!"

"For _you_ to kill?!" Karkull yelled. "Not on your life! You can have the others! I want Superman's brat! And Fate!"

"You can have those two," Neron spat. "I'm interested in the Marvels."

The First of the Fallen emerged beside his fellows Nebiros and Eurynomos. All three resembled leather-clad, dark-haired men, but they were different in their own ways. The First had a relatively clean and distinguished appearance, while Nebiros looked like a street biker with some fashion sense and Eurynomos looked like a modernized Spartan. None of the three were happy to see the intruders, or their fellow demon lords.

"You shits," Nebiros spat. "You really think you're going to take our prizes from us?"

"Yeah, we think so," Neron retorted.

"'We'?" Blaze repeated skeptically.

"_**Shut up!**_" Rij'ze-Nightwing shouted. "_**We're getting bored with your squabbling! Either kill us now, or forever hold your peace!**_"

"And, of course, the wantonly violent dragon gets us all killed," Zatanna drawled sardonically.

Rij'ze-Nightwing laughed and clanged the Soul Swords together before lifting them over his head and twisting his wrists to create a halo over his body. Lowering his arms, the halo lowered over his body, forming a suit of black armor resembling an anthropomorphized crow. He looked up at the archfiends, his eyes blazing a virulent gold and silver highlights glowing from within his armor. "_**Let's do it.**_"

"What's your allegiance, Videl?" Blaze asked. "Me, or your lover?"

"Mine!" Videl retorted, and struck Blaze with a bolt of dark lightning. Blaze recoiled in anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the female archfiend asked.

"Eh, nothing," Videl replied. "But I didn't think you'd let me keep X, and so I decided, 'Screw it.' He's really good at head, you know. Can't let a guy like that slip away."

"Wow, thanks," Red X commented.

"Hmm, I suppose I have to discipline you now," Blaze said to Videl. "Oh, well. I'll attribute this rebellion to first love. You'll learn."

And so the battle was joined, with Blaze taking on Red X, Videl, Rose, Violet, Gemma, and Morgana. Rij'ze, Starfire, Blackfire, Raven, and the Wonder Girls fought the First of the Fallen. Severin, Kushier, Seraph, Azrael, Black Alice, and Osiris clashed swords with Nebiros and Eurynomos. Kid Devil, Etrigan, Obsidian, Zatanna, Cyborg, and Kid Flash took on Neron. Superboy, Doctor Fate, Jinx, Beast Boy, Captain Marvel, and Zatara took on Karkull.

Rij'ze spun both Soul Swords and threw them at the First while they were spinning, managing to cut off an arm and a leg. When he reclaimed his swords, they were coated in the First's blood. "_**And that's not all . . .**_"

"You think cutting off an arm and a leg is all it takes?" the First asked. "Stupid child!"

Rij'ze laughed at him. "_**Child? Child!?! You think this power belongs to a child?! Just for that, I'm gonna make your death really painful!**_"

As the First regenerated, Rij'ze attacked again, and again, and again, and again, accelerating and frenzying more and more until he was nothing but an almost literal whirlwind of death in every direction possible. By the time Rij'ze stopped, the First was no more than pink mist, so thoroughly Rij'ze had killed him.

Meanwhile, Red X and Videl were tag-teaming Blaze, assaulting her with extremely fast and vicious blows. When Blaze attempted to strike back, they used their speed to evade her attacks. Finally Red X ensnared her with the warping power of his Right Arm of the Damned, bringing her into a flying kick from him and a ground kick from Videl that knocked her down for the count.

Severin, Kushier, and Seraph combined their powers with Osiris's eldritch lightning to strike down the First's partners in the Infernal Triumvirate. Etrigan and Zatanna dealt with Neron via a binding spell, as did Doctor Fate and Zatara with Karkull.

"That takes care of them," Kushier said. "But there is the other part of our mission. Stopping their war from spilling out onto Earth."

"Who's going to go back to the light, and who's going to stay among Hell's blight?" Etrigan asked.

"Good point," Doctor Fate replied. "The gates have to be locked on both sides, or else it won't work."

"Then I'll stay," Videl said.

"No!" Red X exclaimed. "You can't!"

"Not your choice," Videl replied. "You're still a human. I'm not. I don't belong up there with you."

"Then I'm staying with you!" Red X declared.

"You'd do that . . . for someone you barely know?" Videl asked.

"Yes!" Red X exclaimed.

"You're insane . . . and sweet," Videl replied. "I'll miss you." She pulled off Red X's mask and kissed him on the lips, then pulled back as he passed out. She turned to Rij'ze. "He'll wake up soon enough. I just gave him the best orgasm he'd ever have. It'll keep him down for a while." She turned around. "You guys gonna go seal those portals?"

"I'd better stay, too," Kid Devil said.

"What do you mean?" Zatara asked.

"I'm hell-bound, anyway," Kid Devil replied. "Remember, Zat? At least this way, I can help you guys."

Zatara sagged. "You don't have to . . ."

"I do. Thanks, Zat. You've been great. I'll miss you."

Kushier and Severin elected to stay as well, alongside Gemma, Black Alice, and Morgana. When Etrigan gave Morgana a surprisingly tender look, Morgana just smiled and said, "Silly Uncle Jason. That's what we're supposed to. When the chips are down, we've got to be willing to give up some things to protect the people we love." She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Goodbye."

Violet gave Kushier one last parting hug, and Raven looked at Severin. "What do you expect me to tell Regan?"

"Tell her whatever you have to," Severin answered. "And tell her . . . I'm sorry I didn't recognize it sooner."

* * *

Reluctantly, the Titans and Leaguers who hadn't elected to stay behind went back to the Earth plane. On both sides of the Hellgates, they concentrated their powers to seal Hell off from Earth and Earth from Hell . . . forever, they hoped.

"What are we gonna tell X?" Blackfire asked.

"The truth," Nightwing replied. "He won't take it well, but . . ." He sighed. "I guess I was kind of wrong before, about Videl. Even if she wasn't loyal to us . . . she really did love him."

"And he her," Raven murmured. "I wonder how he'll go on now."

"He has Rose and Violet," Nightwing murmured. "And he's going to need them, just like they're gonna need him."

As the Titans and remaining Leaguers prepared to go back to their separate lives, a shadow watched them, focusing particularly hard at Nightwing. "You're mine, Nightwing. That's a promise."

* * *

End Notes: There you go. That's the end of this fic. I know I was building up to an epic finish and all, but it all kind of got jumbled and I had to rush it because I knew I didn't have enough steam to write out all those epic fights. I'm sorry, you guys. I really am. Well, this is the last from me for now in this series, but I've left enough sequel hooks in there so that I can resume with a new story in this series if enough of you ask for it. Again, I'm sorry I got so burned out with this and couldn't deliver the finish you deserved. If you still like it, thanks for reading, anyway. See you around.


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